Our Time Is Here
by RachyDoodle
Summary: Amy Butler has hit rock bottom. No job, no home & a deadbeat boyfriend. To her, life is over and she's ready to give up... until she meets Roman Reigns. Roman is different, he's fun, he's exciting, he's genuine. Can he show her a new & exciting life with The Shield in WWE or will her past come back to haunt her and destroy it? [Roman/OC]
1. Into The Night

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **So here we go, another story for you all to hopefully enjoy. This one is a Roman/OC story and I'm so excited to finally start writing this. My first ever WWE story was a Roman/OC one and I've done so many others since but have never returned to Roman. Then this little idea sprung to mind and I knew I had to bring that gorgeous powerhouse back.**

 **I hope you enjoy, guys. Normal chapters will be longer than this first one, but I'm eager to finally begin.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **This chapter is named after 'Into The Night' by Santana**

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Amelia Butler's Point Of View

I did not like the dark.

I feared it like nothing else before. Its mystery, its silence, its secrets which are shrouded in its depth, it frightened me. It was unknowing, surprising and shady. There was never any happiness in the dark, only danger, fear and terrible loneliness. No-one could find you in the dark and you did not know what lurked in it.

It all stemmed back to when I was 6 years old and I fell down the stairs and broke my leg. It would have only taken a few seconds to put the light on, but I decided I wouldn't so as not to disturb anyone and continued walking to my parent's room anyway. Too bad I couldn't see my discarded rollerblades at the top of the stairs.

Three stitches and a cast is what I got. I couldn't complain though… I got four weeks off school.

But ever since then I haven't been able to trust the darkness. It wasn't the friend that I once held in high regard. It was dangerous and untrustworthy.

I did not like it and I never would, and the darkness meant the world is a scary place at night.

The darkness invites anything to happen, the emptiness allowing the mind to wonder and over-react. The night feels cold, unsafe, like anything can happen. It was easy to see why people were so afraid of the dark and as I walked through the dark Florida streets, I began to feel it too, reminded of the fear that would never leave.

My name is Amy Butler and the best word to probably describe me was fucked.

It wasn't always this way, I wasn't always this screwed. I used to have a home and a decent job, but life happens and shit happens and suddenly the world isn't as great as it used to be. I left my parents and left home after I finished college, moving from New York to Florida to make it in the big wide world. New York was too busy for me and I was a girl who adored the sunshine, so Florida seemed like a great choice to set up my life.

I got a job immediately and was able to rent an apartment. It wasn't very big but it was the best I could afford on a waitress's wage, and it was home. It was all mine and I loved it…

Until I met my boyfriend.

Jack was a dream at first. The perfect man who gave me everything that I wanted and treated me like a princess. We became attached at the hip, living in each other's pockets, loving life as a happy couple. I got rid of my little apartment and moved in with him after a few months of dating, completely besotted and in love…

Then reality hit hard and his true colors began to shine through.

We'd been together for 9 months when I discovered he dealt drugs. How he'd kept it so hidden from me, I'll never know.

But it's hard to not notice the truth when you come in after a shift at work to find your boyfriend and his buddy snorting cocaine off the living room coffee table, high as a kite. That night involved a lot of shouting, a lot of arguing and a shit tonne of anger.

And I stayed with him.

For some pathetic and stupid reason I stayed with the guy despite the fact I knew he did the hard stuff. I wasn't sure if I was still madly in love, afraid to admit the truth or simply didn't know what else to do, but I stayed with him and ignored what he did like a fucking idiot. Thing is, there's only so long you can ignore drugs.

Now I knew the truth, I saw how it consumed him, how it controlled him, how it was all he thought of morning, noon, and night. I tried to get him help but he didn't seem to want it. And then the worst happened – I lost my job. Work was drying up at the restaurant until the point where the manager had to let several of us go, me being one of those sad and sorry employees.

So no job meant no money and whilst I searched for work, any money I had saved dried up fast. We were on the last of our savings and I knew we wouldn't be able to afford our apartment before long. I considered phoning my parents but then I knew I'd have to admit the truth. I'd have to admit Jack's problems, how I'd put up with them, how my attempt to make it in the big wide world had epically failed and I just didn't want to disappoint them.

So when Jack suggested we moved in with his friend I had no choice. I still didn't have a job and our money was almost gone. So we packed our things and moved into the biggest shit hole in Florida with the biggest jackass around. Jack's friend was vile, a pure junkie who did nothing but light up 24/7. Jack was in his element of course, but the constant stench of weed could only be smelt for so long.

It meant we argued again, it meant we fought again, but this time it was so much worse. The shouting got louder, the arguing got crazier, our voices got more aggressive.

Then Jack hit me.

Square in the face, the force of his fist hitting my cheek knocking me half way across the floor. My skin burnt, the soreness overtaking my body. I looked up at him, seeing his pupils dilated, seeing how high he was, knowing once and for all that I couldn't take this anymore. This had been one step too far and I wasn't going to keep putting up with him.

So I left. I simply walked out of the disgusting pit we'd been living in and I was never going back.

And this was where I was now, wandering the dark Florida streets, nowhere to go with a throbbing cheek and a searing pain flowing through my face. I was cold, weary and tired, the second-hand smoke from being in a weed-infested room making me beyond tired. I knew I needed to get to a hospital to make sure nothing had been damaged in my face, but in that moment I didn't care. All I wanted was to go the hell to sleep and forget this past year had ever happened. I wanted to forget Jack even existed.

My feet were feeling sluggish, my mouth yawning as my eyes became heavy. I had no money on me for a motel and I definitely wasn't going back to that sorry boyfriend of mine, so I knew whatever happened I was out in the open world tonight. It wasn't fun and it wasn't ideal, but it'd do for one night.

I had a warm coat on and Florida wasn't all that cold. So as I walked I found a bench sheltered underneath a massive green tree. I wandered over to it, seeing it would do for the evening. I needed rest, especially with the way my face was feeling. So without a second thought I laid down on the wood, settle my head comfortably and closed my eyes.

The occasional rustle of the wind or a passing car would wake me up, but before long exhaustion took over to the point where no noises would disturb me, I fell completely asleep, oblivious to the world around me.

I did not like the dark

xXx

Roman Reigns's Point Of View

I loved off days from work.

Wrestling for a living really took its toll on your body, especially when I was in a ring fighting for four or five nights a week. Don't get me wrong, I fucking loved my job, but boy did I appreciate the days off. The days where I could chill, I could rest, I could relax and do whatever I wanted whilst my body recovered. And I'd landed it lucky as I'd got four days off followed by Raw in Florida.

So I could come home, rest up and really take advantage of the short time off.

It had been a few straight weeks on the road, so it was my first time back in Florida for a while. I'd spent the day freshening up my apartment, making sure it was clean and tidy. Even though I lived by myself and didn't really need it too fancy, I still didn't want to live in a pig sty.

After a day of cleaning, stocking up the fridge and washing some clothes, I'd chosen to meet a few friends at a bar in the city. It wasn't often I saw them so as soon as they heard I was home for a few days, they'd organised a couple drinks and I couldn't say no.

It was good to see my buddies, I'd missed them, and a drink or two was always welcome in my books. So we drank the night away, chatting, shooting pool and catching up.

It was just after midnight when the bar closed so we all parted ways and I began to walk home. I saw no point in getting a cab; I lived literally ten minutes from the bar so a walk home was no problem to me. It was a cool and quiet night and I knew the evening air would help sober me up from whatever alcohol was in my body. I was a big and tall guy so I didn't easily get drunk, but I still needed to wake up a little regardless.

I walked through the park near my house, the bright moon shining down to illuminate the trees and grass around me. Benches were littered here and there, the quiet coo of birds and insects creating sound in the otherwise silent surroundings.

And then I heard a cough.

It was a loud one, more of a quiet murmur.

I thought nothing of it until a sneeze swiftly followed. At that point I knew I wasn't alone. I wasn't frightened; I was over 6 foot tall and built like a tank. If anything was out there I could take it no problem. But I still wanted to be on high alert. After all I was only one guy. If it was a group of people I wasn't sure if I could handle that so easily.

But the more I walked, the sooner the owner of the noises came to light.

Across the way, lying on a park bench was a body. I was confused at first, unsure of why someone would be out here at this time of night in the park of all places. I wondered if it was some inebriated kid or if it was some homeless tramp who had set up camp for the night.

Curiosity couldn't help but get the better of me so I silently crept closer, making sure to not disturb whoever was lying there.

My eyebrows raised in surprise when I saw it was a young woman, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling softly as she slept. I looked around to see if she was with anyone but found we were the only two people in the park.

What the fuck a young woman like that was doing sleeping on a park bench I'd never know, but I knew I couldn't leave her out here. This place was dangerous enough at night for people like me. A girl like this would get eaten alive by herself. I wasn't the only person in this city who had been drinking tonight and many others would have drank gallons more than I had. She was alone, defenseless and vulnerable, and a gang of drunks would have a field day with her.

So I slowly approached her until I could touch her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her awake.

"Hey, you okay there?" I quietly asked as I shook her from her slumber. She barely moved, still deep in sleep so I shook her shoulder a little harder. A frown slowly appeared on her sleeping face, her hand darting out to bat me away.

"Ugh," she moaned in annoyance, her body relaxing again, a light snore leaving her mouth.

I sighed.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Come on, sleeping beauty," I tried. "Time to wake up."

"Five more minutes," she yawned, her eyes refusing to open.

"Five more minutes?" I questioned. "You know you're on a park bench right?"

"Shhh…"

"It's far too dangerous for a young woman to be out here," I told her. "You seriously need to wake up, miss. You need to go home or wherever you came from. It's unsafe here."

"Don't care," she mumbled, rolling over until her back faced me.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. The stupid girl didn't realise how annoying she was being. It was ridiculous for her to be out here by herself and I needed to get her somewhere safer. If I could find out where she lived I could easily put her in a cab and send her on her way.

She looked clean, her hair shiny and her clothes pristine so I knew she didn't live on the streets. She was no doubt some poor girl who had decided to have way too much to drink and had fallen asleep on her way home.

That's when I noticed her face, or more accurately, what was on her face.

A huge red and purple blotch was rising along her cheek, the injury easy to spot even in the night light. I frowned, knowing that wasn't some simple injury. Working for WWE meant I saw marks like this all the time. This girl had been hit.

Yeah… no way was I leaving her out here by herself.

I tried nudging her awake again but she was having none of it. She was asleep and that's how she was staying. No way in hell was I getting any information out of her tonight. I considered phoning Seth or Dean for advice but I knew deep down that there was only one option for tonight at least.

She needed shelter and she needed out of this park. So I took the decision to bring her back with me.

I couldn't discern whether she was drunk or not as she refused to wake up, but I knew if I could bring her back to my apartment, she'd sleep in safety and I send her home in the morning when she'd be awake and conscious.

I knew it was risky to bring an injured stranger into my home, especially considering my line of work and the fact I could have very crazy and full-on fans. But this girl seemed harmless enough.

After all, what could one girl do?

So with a deep breath I slipped one arm around her back and the other under her knees, picking her up bridal style. She shuffled a little as she slept, but she soon settled again, her breathing regulating as she continued to sleep deeply. She wasn't heavy, her body warm against mine.

"Hope you know what you're doing, Roman…" I muttered to myself as I turned on my heel and walked us back to my apartment.

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 **Favourite, follow and review!**


	2. Starstrukk

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **A huge thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews for the first chapter. I always get so scared and nervous when starting a new story that no one will read it and no one will respond, so all your feedback is greatly appreciated. I really do have the best readers!**

 **Tantoune – Yes! It's finally time for a Roman story. It's been so long since I've written one, but I have lots planned and I think you're gonna like it**

 **Beautifultragedyxxx – Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – Thank you, my lovely. I have so many things planned for this story, I just hope it loves up to expectations.**

 **Clarembees – I always find it happens in Dean stories too but since Roman is a father in RL I think he'd be quite protective and caring and take in a stray. And thank you, I like to give my character a background without going down the usual run through list. Amy's character will continue to be fleshed out, especially once she starts interacting with Roman**

 **Grrlygrrl – I'm glad I have your interest and I hope you continue to enjoy this little story**

 **Nolabell66 – Exactly! He's the powerhouse and the protector and won't leave a vulnerable young woman by herself.**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl - Its going to be one crazy ride! So I hope you're ready**

 **This chapter is named after 'Starstrukk' by 3OH!3**

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Amelia Butler's Point Of View

I sighed in contentment the next morning as the sun rose, awakening me from my slumber. I kept my eyes closed, far too comfy to get up and face the day. After the evening I'd had, the day wasn't something I wanted to approach eagerly. It was going to be a tough day to face so the longer I could put it off the better.

So I kept my eyes closed instead a basked in the heat the Florida sunshine was bringing. It was warm on the skin of my face, birds tweeting in the background, the mattress soft beneath my body…

 _Hang on… Mattress?_

I didn't fall asleep on a mattress, I feel asleep on a bench, didn't I? I moved my limbs around, feeling a quilt around my body and a pillow beneath my head. The wind of the outdoors wasn't billowing around me and I couldn't hear the hustle and bustle of the city.

I wasn't on the bench.

My body sat bolt upright, my eyes shooting open and scanning the room urgently. I definitely was not in the park or on the bench, a small part of me wondering if I'd returned home or if Jack had found me and picked me up. But the more I scanned the room, the room I realised this place was alien to me, a place I'd never been before.

It was a small bedroom with the basic necessities in it. A wardrobe, a bedside table with a lamp on it, a chest of draws with a small TV upon it, a mirror on one wall, and a window on the opposite wall. I was lying in a double bed, confusion hitting me harder than ever.

Where the fuck was I?

This was certainly not the bench I'd fallen asleep on last night and I'd never been in this room in my life so I knew this had nothing to do with Jack. I was relieved really. He was the last person I wanted to see as I knew it would only provide more arguments.

So who had brought me here?

I concentrated my hearing trying to see if I could hear anything beyond the walls of the room but everything was completely silent as if the place was empty. I couldn't be sure if I was completely alone, but I knew I couldn't hear anything else here. Only the tweeting of the birds outside.

That's when a sharp pain shot through my face.

"Fuck…" I muttered to myself, my hand instinctively reaching up to touch my sore cheek, memories of the night before hitting me again.

This was where Jack had hit me. This was the reason I'd walked out on him in the first place. And now I'd managed to get some rest and the pain had had time to settle in my body, it was slowly getting sorer. I was still thankfully in my clothes from the night before so I got out of the bed and approached the mirror I'd seen sitting on the wall, gasping as I saw my reflection. It was like nothing I'd seen on myself before. Thankfully the mark wasn't purple and there was very little swelling, but it was red raw, stinging every time I touched it or pressed on it. It looked awful. It felt hot and I knew I needed to cool it down in order to relieve some of the pain.

There was only one door in the room so I knew it didn't have any sort of en suite, so I knew I'd have to venture outside in order to find a kitchen or a bathroom where I could get myself a wet flannel to help the slowly forming bruise.

I looked over at the door, anxiety hitting me hard as I realised I had no idea what or who lay beyond it. It could be a kind hearted soul, someone helpful and generous. But on the other hand it could be someone as low as Jack and his drugged up friend. Whoever brought me here could have been someone who brought me to safety rather than being out on the streets, but it could also have been someone who saw a vulnerable woman and thought they'd hit the jackpot.

I swallowed nervously knowing I'd have to leave at some point. I couldn't live in this room forever and no doubt whoever had brought me here would come for me eventually. Besides, my cheek was really starting to hurt me.

 _Time to be brave, Amy…_

So with a deep breath and as much courage as I could muster, I approached the door, slowly turned the handle, opened it and walked through.

I was in some sort of apartment, the door opening to a large living and kitchen area complete with sofas, a large TV, dining table and chairs, and a massive kitchen complex. Beyond the living area stood two large sliding glass doors which opened out to a balcony. A few other doors were littered around, no doubt belonging to other bedrooms but more importantly a bathroom.

From what I could tell I was completely alone in the apartment, no noises coming from any of the other rooms, so I knew I had to work fast in order to sort out my wound before I was caught or found out. I tried the door to my left, thanking god when it revealed a bathroom. I was grateful I'd found it on my first attempt so I quickly entered and locked the door behind me.

It was an average size bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower, and a mirrored cabinet above the sink. A small shelf sat on the wall filled with piles of towels, so I quickly grabbed the smallest one I could and ran it under the cold water tap, ringing it out when I knew it was wet enough. I lifted it to my cheek, relaxing as relief hit me, the cold water cooling my cheek down instantly. It felt wonderful.

I wasn't sure what damage Jack had done to my face exactly, but I knew I'd probably need more than a cold wet flannel to fix it. Nothing felt broken but I knew I'd need some form of pain killer in order to get by. The kitchen had many cupboards so I was curious as to whether there was a first aid box or anything in any of them. I checked the bathroom first but came up empty, so keeping the wet flannel clutched to my face I emerged from the bathroom and headed over to the kitchen area.

That's when the front door opened.

I froze on the spot, gasping as a tall man entered the room, closing the door behind him, holding some mail in his hands. My eyes were wide like I was a deer caught in the headlights, his face surprised to see me standing there. But he could never have looked as surprised and shocked as I did in that moment, the flannel dropping from my hand, landing on the floor with a thud.

It was Roman fucking Reigns.

 _What the fuck…?_

A heavy silence surrounded us as my mouth hung agape, my hands ready to rub my eyes as I looked at him, trying to find out of this was real or not. I mean it's not every day you see one of the biggest wrestlers in the world standing in front of you.

 _This has to be bullshit, surely…_

I'd followed WWE for years, ever since I was a little girl. My dad and I would watch it together when I was a child and I'd been hooked ever since. Sure, my viewing of the show had dwindled a little in the last year since I'd been with Jack, but I knew exactly who Roman fucking Reigns was and he was standing here right now, staring down at me.

"Hey, you're awake," he smiled, breaking the silence, placing the mail down on the kitchen counter. "How did you sleep last night?"

I couldn't answer him, my voice had totally vanished, my mouth still agape in shock.

 _No way is this happening…_

This wasn't real, it couldn't be. This was some sort of dream, some kind of hallucination from whatever second-hand weed smoke I'd inhaled last night. This was fucking crazy.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, walking over to the kettle and filling it with water. "Coffee? Tea? Juice?"

Still nothing would come out of my mouth, my eyes simply blinking as I stared at him like an animal in a zoo.

"You don't talk much do you?" he smirked as he rested back on the kitchen counter, his arms folded. "But I know you have a voice, a very stubborn one. From what I recall it told me you liked sleep. A lot."

I remained shell-shocked and silent.

"Can I at least get your name?"

"You're Roman Reigns," my voice finally managed to squeak out.

"Last time I checked, yeah. I am," he replied in amusement.

I shook my head in denial. Perhaps when Jack had hit me he'd given me some sort of concussion. Because Roman Reigns, the fucking WWE Superstar, was right in front of me.

"This is some sort of dream, right?" I muttered to myself. "You can't be real…"

"I'd kind of like to be," he said to me. "Because if I'm not then these last 30 years has been a total waste of my time and I need to get in touch with Vince McMahon to end my contract."

I swallowed, nervously walking over to him, trying to suss out if he was real or a figment of my imagination.

I looked at him closely, taking in his tattoo, his strong body, his sweaty gym gear. It all looked real but I knew looks could be deceiving. So I reached out a hand, cautiously touching his forearm, snatching my hand away when I felt warm flesh.

"Holy shit, you are real," I said.

"Told you," he said. "Now do you want a drink, because it's 10 in the morning and I haven't had a coffee yet."

Holy shit, Roman Reigns was offering me coffee.

"Y-Yes please," I managed to get out.

"Okay, go sit in the living area and I'll bring it over," he told me. "Stick something on the TV if you like and then we can finally talk."

My feet managed to take me over to the living area, my body dropping onto the sofa, my mind still trying to figure out what the fuck was happening here. I ran my fingers through my long brown hair, my mind assessing everything I'd heard and seen. This wasn't normal in the slightest and I wanted to make sure I had this right.

From what I could gather I was no longer out there on that bench, lying alone, not able to return home. In fact I was far from it. I was in the home of… of Roman Reigns, the WWE wrestler and current World Heavy Weight Champion. If I wasn't so confused or lost I'd have probably burst out laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing. This was like a movie, a book, some random piece of fan-fiction. This didn't happen in the real world.

 _How is this possible?_

Of all the people in all the world for me to meet, how the fuck had it been him?

This was so surreal that I'd have slapped my face to snap out of this if my cheek wasn't hurting so much.

But I was brought back to reality as Roman walked over to me, placing my hot cup of coffee onto the table and taking a seat. I watched him closely, taking in his tall form, his broad chest, his tanned skin and his muscular arms. His hair was tied back in a bun at the nape of his neck, gym gear still adorning his body.

"Do you want to take a picture?" he asked. "Might last longer."

I quickly shook my head, looking away and taking my cup of coffee into my hands. "Sorry," I quickly said. "Just… trying to figure out what the hell is happening here, because my mind is working overtime right now."

"Well why don't we start with your name?" he suggested, resting back in his seat.

"Amy Butler," I said. "Well, it's Amelia, but everyone calls me Amy."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Amy Butler. I'm-"

"Roman Reigns," I interrupted. "I know."

"You're a fan then, I assume?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What gave me away?" I said with a light smile.

He chuckled lightly. "Call it a hunch."

"How am I even here?" I questioned. "I don't understand. Don't you guys live on the road or something?"

"Only for 300 days in the year," he explained. "The rest of those days I live here and I just happen to have 4 of those days off in a row."

"What happened last night?" I asked curiously. "How did I go from that bench to being in the home of the World Heavy Weight Champion?"

The words still felt so odd and crazy and they rolled off my tongue.

"Because in all honesty there was no way I could have left you out there?"

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not the type of guy to leave a girl alone by herself at night, especially in a big city," he explained. "And especially when she's all by herself. The city isn't the nicest place when it's dark. I tried to wake you up in order to get you a cab to take you home but you were having not of it. You're very stubborn and you refused to wake up. So I figured the next best thing would be to bring you home with me and give you a much comfier place to rest. Besides you were hurt so I was not going to leave you. Which brings me to that…" He raised his arm, pointing at my cheek. "What happened there, kid?"

I went to speak but no words came out.

Could I really tell him the truth of the situation? Sure, I knew of Roman Reigns from TV but he was still technically a stranger, one I really didn't know well at all. The last thing I wanted to do was unload my problems on him, especially considering how deep and bad they were. He'd been kind enough to offer me a bed for the night, the last thing I wanted to do was scare him off with stories of homelessness, violence and a deadbeat boyfriend.

A little white wouldn't hurt. I'd only see Roman for a couple hours anyway and I'd soon be on my way to never see him again.

"I fell," I lied. "Had one drink too many last night and tripped and hit my face. I felt so drunk and out of it that the park seemed like a nice little place for a nap."

"Well it explains why I found you," Roman said thoughtfully. "But you need to be more careful. It looks painful."

"It is," I said. "It stung a lot this morning."

"Nothing looks swollen," he said as he leaned forward, his eyes assessing my face. "But it's very red. I may have something for it."

He stood and I watched him go over to the kitchen, searching through a cupboard.

"You do?" I asked as he fished something out and walked back over to me.

"Yep," he said, sitting beside me on the sofa, a green first aid box in his hands. He opened it up and began to sort through it. "We get tough injuries like this all the time on the road. It's easy enough to fix. You won't need a hospital."

He pulled out a tube of something, squeezing it out onto his fingers before he gently applied it to my face, rubbing it into the skin. I jumped a little, gasping as his fingers touched my skin, but soon relaxed. The relief was instant.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A cooling cream," he said. "Will lessen the pain, the heat and the redness."

His fingers were soft to the touch, the cream working wonders on my cheek, the pain already dissipating. My eyes fluttered closed, loving the feel of normality that was coming back to my face.

"God, that's good," I muttered.

"Is it working?" he asked.

"Perfectly," I said. "It already feels so much better."

"This is the stuff they give us at work so you know it's the best money can buy," he said as he continued applying the cream.

I could have fallen asleep there and then with how good it felt, but I already looked crazy enough to this guy. He'd already seen me asleep on a park fucking bench and gawping at him like an exhibit in a museum. Last thing he needed was me falling asleep on top of him because of some fucking cream.

Once the cream was applied and had absorbed into my skin, he searched through the first aid box again, pulling out some painkillers and popping them out of the packet, handing them to me.

"How about I fix you up some breakfast so you can take those?" he asked. "The cream is good but that's the stuff that will really fix you."

"Sounds good," I smiled as he stood and walked over to the kitchen.

"I only brought the basics yesterday so I hope toast is alright," he asked.

"Toast is great, thank you, Roman."

"You're more than welcome, baby girl," he said, giving me a quick wink before reaching for the bread. My cheeks became tinged with pink, blushing brightly even through the cream, my stomach flipping.

I felt so star-struck, so nervous. This was Roman Reigns after all and I knew I was living a lot of girl's dreams right now. But even though I felt a lot of excitement being here, I also felt a lot of relief. Roman bringing me home had offered me a place to rest, some ointment for my injury, and an extra day to figure out where to go from here. I knew I couldn't return to Jack but this was far better than sleeping on the streets.

I knew of a few hostels in the city so I knew once I was done here I'd call in at one of those and stay until I was back on my feet. It wasn't the most glamorous or nicest of options but it was all I had. Roman had been kind enough to take me in for one night but I felt as if I'd already outstayed my welcome. Besides, he thought I was just some drunken idiot who had decided to take the wrong turn home. No doubt I'd be on my way within a few hours.

So as he returned with my toast and I was able to take my painkillers, I began to set my plan into action, still unable to believe that I'd been here in the first place.

This was Roman Reigns's apartment and I'd spent the night in it…

Damn.

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 **Again, a huge thanks to Tantoune, beautifultragedyxxx, KayIsDaughterOfHades, clarembees, grrlygrrl, nolabell66 and ambrose-kohli-girl for their reviews.**


	3. Possessive

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **Sorry this took so long to get out. Monday was mine and my boyfriend's fourth anniversary so I just wanted the day to be about him and I so that meant no uploading. We had a lovely day and the chapter is here now so all is well**

 **Also at the time of posting this chapter I've not had chance to watch Extreme Rules due to being so busy. So no spoilers.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – I'm so glad you like Amy. And expect so many twists and turns in this story. You know me, I like to keep my readers on their feet**

 **Beautifultragedyxxx – Thank you! I had to make her a fan so she can appitiate the wonder that is Roman Reigns**

 **Lilygirl95 – Thank you!**

 **Clarembees – Thank you! I try to get the legitimate real characters as close to their onscreen personalities as possible. So I'm glad that came across well. And thank you with regards to my OC. OCs can be quite hard to formulate and keep realistic. So I'm doing my very best.**

 **Raquel the writer – So glad you enjoyed them!**

 **Nolabell66 – Yeah, being in Roman's apartmentwould be completely surreal. I tried to get her to react pretty much how I would. And I agree, returning to Jack would be rather foolish**

 **Tantoune – Haha! Just you wait for the smut, my dear. You know it's coming eventually. I'm really excited to allow these two to get to know each other. Its gonna be fun**

 **DancingGirl0 – Protective Roman is hhhaaawwwtt! It is the dream scenario to wake up in his apartment and I think Amy reacted how most girls would**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – He's a total Romeo!**

 **Grrlygrrl – Don't worry, my usual tension and suspense will be coming by the bucket load. As will the cliffhangers. As for her past, its definitely something that will come out to Roman little by little**

 **Tomieharley – Lucky you! I can imagine how beautiful he is in real life lol.**

 **Caz21 – Thank you!**

 **This chapter is named after 'Possessive' by The Vaccines**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

By mid-afternoon I knew it was probably time for me to be on my way. Roman had prepared us lunch and allowed me to shower so I was well fed and clean. I was thankful; I wasn't sure when my next opportunity to shower properly would be. Lunch was delicious, my face was feeling much better, and by 2 o'clock I knew it was a good time to make my exit.

Roman merely thought I was some silly drunken girl who had gotten lost on her way home, so I felt as if I'd already outstayed my welcome by many hours. I'd already used his water, eaten his food and taken up most of his day, so I gathered whatever things I had and began to put my shoes on.

"Thank you for all this," I said as I laced up my Converse. "You don't know how helpful you've been."

"Like I said before, I'm not one to leave a vulnerable girl by herself," he said with a smile. "You're my little stray. It was my pleasure."

I blushed at his words but continued to put on my shoes.

I felt quite sad leaving this small cosy apartment. It was homely and nice, the kind of place I'd have loved for myself. I knew I'd be going to a cold, impersonal hostel for the next few days, so I looked around the place, appreciating it, holding the memory in.

But I felt sad leaving Roman too. I'd met a hero of mine, one of my favourite wrestlers, and a genuinely great guy. Not every man would take it a girl off the streets and hardly any of them would feed her, water her, clean her and offer her a bed for the night. It just showed what a wonderful man he was, and I was so glad he'd been the one to find me last night.

Once both shoes were laced, I stood up and Roman walked me to the door.

"I owe you big time," I said as he opened the door and I faced him in the doorway.

"Anything for a fan," he chuckled. "Owe me by not mentioning to anyone where I live or that I'm here. I like the peace and quiet on the few days that I'm back home. Last thing I need is a group of fans crowding around the entrance to the building."

"Easily done. My lips are sealed. No one will know," I smiled, holding out my hand. He swiftly took it, shaking it, his own hand completely enveloping mine. "Thanks, Roman."

His hand felt nice, warm, safe. It felt softer and smoother than I thought it would... not that I ever thought I'd ever be holding the hand of Roman Reigns! I liked it. It felt nice.

"You're welcome. Watch how you go, Amy," he said as our hands sadly parted and I began to walk away. "And be careful next time you're out," he shouted after me.

"Duly noted," I shouted back, laughter in my voice as I entered the elevator, set it to the ground floor and left the apartment building.

The last 24 hours had been nothing short of surreal. From beginning to end the entire thing had felt like both a nightmare and a dream and there was plenty to figure out. I still had the issue of Jack to sort out. I was done with him; that much I knew. Drugs were one thing, but to hurt a woman was one step too far and I knew I couldn't come back from that. If he could do it once he could easily do it again and I was not foolish enough to fall for it twice. I had more dignity than that.

Then of course there was the tiny little issue of finding somewhere to live. I obviously couldn't go back to where I'd stayed before and I had zero cash on me for a hotel room. I would go to a hostel in the city for the night, use their phone and as much as I didn't want to, I'd phone my parents.

It was my only option right now. As much as it was going to suck to tell my parents that I had no job, no home, a dickhead of a boyfriend and had failed to make it out in the world on my own, I knew they would still welcome me home with open arms and help me get back on my feet. My parents were the best people in the world and it was only my fear of letting them down that was stopping me going to them. I knew in all truth they wouldn't judge me at all; they'd only want to help me.

So by going to the hostel I would have another bed for the night and could organise flights back to New York over the phone with my mom and dad.

I walked from the apartment building and made my way into the city. The sun was already setting, the sky a gorgeous orange. That was the beauty of Florida; the sunshine was stunning. The weather was something I could never fault as it was the main thing that brought me here in the first place.

I knew exactly where the hostel was and I knew it wouldn't take me long to get there so I kept my focus on that rather than on the sky.

I continued walking past homes, restaurants, shops and bars. Many people were out, ready to enjoy their evening. The restaurants were full with hungry customers, and people were making their way to a bar for a drink or two after work. I wrapped my jacket tightly around myself, eager to get through the crowds and reach the hostel in one piece…

But things are never that easy, are they?

I was passing by Murphy's bar when a hand shot out to grab me. I gasped, not realising what was happening at first, my mind taking a while to process it. The hand pulled me into the alleyway near the bar, pushing me up against the brick wall of the building, the back of my head hitting off the hard surface with a thump. I instantly went dizzy.

"Where the fuck have you been?" growled an angry voice. Once I got my bearings I looked up, seeing the voice belonged to Jack.

"Jack…" I said.

 _Where the fuck had he come from…?_

"I asked you a question, Amy," he said, pushing me by the shoulders, pressing me further into the wall. "You just walked out last night. No word, no phonecall, nothing. Where the fuck have you been all day and night?"

I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. Even if I did there was very little chance he'd believe me, but Roman had specifically asked that I not mention he was in town or where he lived. And I was not about to betray his kindness by going against his word.

"I've been… around," I said.

"What kind of piss-poor answer is that?" he asked in annoyance.

That's when I smelt the drugs and alcohol on him. That's when I knew he was drunk and as high as a kite. That's when I knew I had to get away from him.

"Let me go, Jack," I said firmly. "Let me go and we can talk."

"We had last night to fucking talk and you walked out on me," he said, his hands squeezing me tighter.

"Because you hit me!" I argued. "I wasn't going to stay around after that, was I?"

"Well maybe you deserved it," his voice slurred. "Maybe if you weren't such a little bitch towards me I wouldn't have to go that far."

"You're drunk," I stated.

"No shit, Sherlock," he replied.

The smell coming from his breath was repulsive, my nose scrunching up. I knew there was no talking to him when he was in this state. The best thing I could do was attempt to escape him and get the hell out of there in one piece… or at least try to anyway.

"Let me go," I tried again.

"Why should I?" he asked. "So you can run again? I don't think so, sweetheart. You're fucking mine and you stay with me."

"I'm no one's," I said sternly. "You don't own me, Jack."

I regretted the words the second they left my mouth.

Instantly his hand was in my hair, pulling on the strands so roughly a screeching cry on pain left my lips, filling the empty silence around us. He bent my neck, holding my head near his ear, tears already starting to build behind my eyes. I was more than frightened now.

"If I say you're mine, then you're fucking mine," he growled harshly. "And if you can't accept that, maybe I should make the other cheek match the one I made last night. Would be a shame to harm such a pretty face now, wouldn't it? So say it. Say you're mine."

Tears tumbled down my cheeks then, staining my cheeks, running like a river. I hated when he was like this, I hated that he allowed the drugs and alcohol to take over like this. Why couldn't he be like the Jack I'd first met? The kind and sweet man who made me feel like a princess?

He pulled on my hair harder, a silent scream leaving my lips, but for the life of me I couldn't say those words. I wasn't his and I never would be. He'd done too much to win me back and I wanted him out of my life forever.

Sadly Jack didn't think the same way.

"ANSWER ME!" he yelled, a single sob leaving my lips. "Fine, have it your way, Amy."

Next thing I knew, a bloodcurdling thud sounded around us, the harshest most searing pain coming from my face. I fell to the ground, not realising what had happened for a few moments. I looked up at him, seeing finally that he had punched me in the face. Next came legs, feet, everything kicking me whilst I lay vulnerable on the ground. I let out a cry with each point of contact, my weak body unable to get up and fight back. He wasn't gentle either, hitting me with all his might.

"That'll teach you to go against what I say," he muttered between kicks. "If I can't have you then no one can."

I cried, I sobbed, tears staining the floor below me.

How had things come to this? How had my life fucked up so much to the point where I was being beaten black and blue by the man I thought loved me? A part of me wondered whether I'd make it out of this alive or whether he'd just finish the job and be done with me. It seemed that way, my body unable to fight back. He had me right where he wanted me and he showed no signs of stopping.

"What's going on back there?" came a far off voice.

Suddenly Jack's kicks stopped, his head whipping round into the direction of the voice. He looked back at me and within an instant he was gone, running who knows where. In that moment I didn't care, I was just happy the attack had stopped.

I took deep harsh breaths, the pain washing over me like a wave, hitting every point of my weak body.

That's when I heard footsteps slowly walking towards me. Panic set in, wondering who it was, hoping with all my heart it wasn't someone here to finish the job. Jack knew a lot of people who could finish what he started. I closed my eyes and held my breath, poised for whoever was coming my way.

"Shit! Amy!" sounded a familiar voice. My eyes quickly opened, surprised to see none other than Roman Reigns running towards me.

"Roman…"

He was beside me in an instant, kneeling down, looking me over urgently. "What the hell happened?"

I couldn't speak at first, unsure of what to say. I didn't know whether to admit that it was Jack that had attacked or go with another option. I knew I probably should have, but Jack was gone, he'd run away and hopefully he was gone for good. If I mentioned the truth to Roman, a part of me feared he'd go looking for him, he'd never stop searching for him, and he'd remain in my life until he was found. If I kept quiet, maybe I could be rid of Jack for good.

"Mugger," I admitted. "Tried to rob me. I wouldn't let him so he attacked."

"Fuck, are you okay?" he asked, brushing my hair from my face.

"Just sore," I replied. "Nothing feels broken."

"I need to get you hospital," he said.

"No! Honestly, I'm good," I said as I managed to sit up, every muscle aching.

"Then I need to get you home."

Shit…

"No, uh, I don't…" I wasn't sure what to say.

"Where abouts in the city do you live?" he asked, rubbing my back once he saw I was sat up comfortably.

"Uh… I… erm…" I was becoming flustered.

He frowned. "Amy what's wrong?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, knowing I had no option here. I could only tell the truth.

"I lost my house yesterday," I finally admitted. "No money and no way to afford it. Sort of can't go back. I was on my way to a hostel when I was attacked."

All Roman could do was look at me, his grey eyes filled with something I couldn't read. He was clearly lost in thought, thinking of what to say and how best to say it.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked calmly.

"Because it's embarrassing," I said. "And I didn't want you to think I was after charity."

"It's not embarrassing to be homeless, Amy," he admitted. "Everyone gets themselves into bad situations in life. And not once did I think you were after charity."

"Well I'm still not so I'd appreciate it if you could walk me to the hostel," I said. "Don't really want to go for round two with another mugger."

I tried to get to my feet, Roman taking my hands in his and helping me up.

"Come with me," he finally said.

I looked at him, blinking. "Excuse me?"

"You're hurt, Amy," he began. "And being in a hostel surrounded by strangers and god knows who isn't going to help with your recovery. I'm used to big injuries and I know how to cope with them. And my apartment is going to be a much better environment for you to stay in."

"You want me to stay with you?" I asked in astonishment.

"For a couple of days at least," he said.

"Why?" I asked in complete puzzlement. "We only met for a few hours and I know you're a busy man. Why would you-"

"Because I'm a good guy," he said. "And I suppose you're my friend. Can't really leave a stray out in the cold, can I?" A smirk graced his lips.

Holy shit… Roman Reigns was asking me to live with him. The actual Roman Reigns. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns.

Fuck…

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to KayIsDaughterOfHades, beautifultragedyxxx, Lilygirl95, clarembees, Raquel the writer, nolabell66, Tantoune, DancingGirl0, ambrose-kohli-girl, grrlygrrl, tomieharley and caz21 for their reviews.**


	4. Coming Home

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **A thousand apologies for how late this chapter is. I've been ill since last Monday with vertigo, nausea and an ear infection and so have not been able to write any new chapters. I've been posting all my banked chapters as I've been too ill to get out anything new. I'm finally starting to feel better so hopefully usual uploads will return soon. Thank you for being so patient.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – I always love your reviews! Don't worry, Jack will eventually get his comeuppance down the line. The flirting is quite tame right now, things are going to get very heated. I have lots planned for these two. Thank you for all the love and all the support!**

 **Lilygirl95 – Roman is just like a natural hero. I have lots planned for these two which I'm sure you will love**

 **Clarembees – I have considered a Roman POV in a future chapter. I'd love to do one through his eyes so watch this space. Thank you for your compliments and the support. Hope you continue to enjoy**

 **Beautifultragedyxxx – Haha! Jack's beating will come in good time. No way am I letting that little weasel get away with things**

 **Raquel the writer – She should. And she will in good time**

 **Grrlygrrl – Aww thank you! 4 years have flown by but I've loved every second of it**

 **Tantoune – Jack the jackass! Love it! This chapter is a lot softer and calmer than the last one you'll be glad to know**

 **Nolabell66 – She would be embarrassed. I doubt she would want to unload all her problems onto this guy shes just met. It's an interesting dynamic, especially as he's a wrestler and shes a fan. It will lead to a lot of drama and tension in future chapters**

 **MissyInTheMiddle – Thank you! She will admit the truth eventually but due to her situation she does not think it wise at this moment in time**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – She will come clean eventually. I think at the moment she's scared of what Jack can do but also over how Roman will react. He's sort of all she has right now and she doesn't want to scare him away.**

 **This chapter is named after 'Coming Home' by Alter Bridge**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

I held the phone closely to my ear, listening impatiently, tapping my foot as ring after ring sounded down the line. I sat on Roman's sofa, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up. No one did.

"No answer from your parents?" Roman called from the kitchen. He was preparing us drinks whilst getting some ice for my red and swelling cheek. After my run in with Jack, my previously injured cheek now had a matching twin.

"Nope," I said, hanging up again in frustration. "It's the third time I've tried."

"Well keep ringing," he insisted. "I'm sure you'll get through to them soon. It's late, maybe they're asleep."

I did as he suggested, punching the number in again and raising the phone to my ear.

As soon as Roman had brought me back to his, I'd been trying to get in touch with my parents to organise coming home. The secret of my homelessness was now out in the open and Roman knew the truth… well, half of it anyway. I'd left out anything about Jack, not wanting to burden Roman with such a major issue. I didn't want to frighten the guy off and I didn't really know him that well to let loose the avalanche of my fucked up situation.

But he knew I was homeless and he knew my parents were back home in New York. So he'd offered me free use of his cell-phone in order to call them but so far I'd had no luck.

I let the ringing sound out until the answer phone message began to play. It was at this point that I usually hung up ready to try again, but this time round I realised the message sounded different.

"Hi, it's Bill and Sandra," came my mom's voice. "We aren't here right now. Sunny Spain was calling and we'll be gone for a couple weeks. So leave your message after the beep and we'll get back to you when you're home."

 _Shit! Of course._

I hung the phone up, feeling like an idiot. I looked at the date on the screen, everything making sense.

"Still no good?" Roman asked as he returned to me, a frozen bag of peas in his hand. He gave them to me and I pressed them to my cheek.

"No, but now I've actually listened to the answer machine message I remember why," I explained. "Mom and dad went on holiday yesterday. No wonder they aren't answering. They're all the way in Spain."

"Bad timing," said Roman sadly. "But you know you are more than welcome to stay with me until you're able to contact them."

"Thanks," I said as he took a seat. "Twice in two days you've bailed me out of trouble. I'm gonna have to start paying you back soon."

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled. "I feel much better knowing you're indoors and safe from anymore potential muggers."

"Muggers? I asked in confusion, not quite understanding what he meant, my mind quickly catching up on my cover story. "Oh yeah, muggers."

"You must have hit your head harder than I thought," he chuckled lightly.

I laughed with him, mentally noting that I had to be more awake and alert around Roman. I did not want to bring Jack up in conversation in any way so I knew I had to be more aware of what I was saying and what those around me were saying. One simple slip up and the truth would be out in the open.

 _Maybe it should just be out in the open. Tell him about Jack. Roman can help…_

No.

No way.

Jack was long gone, running like a coward the second Roman had made his presence known. There was a temporary peace. There was no Jack, no danger and I was currently in a safe place. Admitting about my idiotic ex-boyfriend would only bring up the past and stir up more trouble… and no doubt scare Roman away.

No. I wasn't mentioning Jack. Of that I was certain.

Once our laughter had died down, I had more of a chance to assess Roman's words better.

"Are you sure you're able to put me up another few nights?" I asked him, continuing to clutch the cold peas to my face.

"I'm certain," he grinned. "I'm hardly about to let you go to a hostel, Amy. They aren't the safest of places; I'd feel much more comfortable knowing you're here. And Raw is in Florida this week so I'm able to stay home with you for a good week."

I smiled. "You really are a good guy, aren't you?"

"I prefer to be called _The_ Guy," he winked, taking a sip of his drink. "The spare room is still set up from last night so you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to. Days, a few weeks, your call."

Shit, this guy was a fucking dream. Not every man would take some random girl in and let her stay with him, never mind the fact that he was a WWE Superstar. I was waiting for the moment when I'd wake up and realise this entire thing had been a dream and I was still stuck with Jack in his friend's dirty basement.

"Do you do this to every girl you meet?" I joked.

"Only the pretty ones," he said as he stood up, making his way over to his bedroom. My cheeks flushed red and I bit my lip as he called me from the other room. "I know my clothes are gonna be far too big for you but I'm sure I have a t-shirt you can sleep in."

I stood up and hurried after him, gasping as I entered his room, the significance of the moment hitting me.

"Holy shit… I'm in Roman Reigns's bedroom," I muttered to myself. I was living every girl's dream right now.

"You manage to bring any clothes with you?" he asked as he sifted through his wardrobe, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Uh, no," I said, quickly thinking on my feet. "Landlord was a bit of a douche bag. Turfed me out quicker than you can say Superman Punch."

"No problem, we can sort you some clothes out tomorrow," he said. "The city should be quiet so we can visit a few stores."

"I'll pay you back for everything the second I can get hold of my parents," I quickly interjected. "Promise."

He shot me a look, the sort of look that said 'not on your life.' I shook my head, silently telling him that I insisted on paying but the stare he gave me told me he wasn't going to budge.

"No, Roman," I said, finally being the voice in this conversation. "You've already given me a place to stay. I at least want to pay you back eventually for my clothes."

"What if I reject your money?" he asked, pulling out a t-shirt that looked far too big for me.

"Then I'll reject your offer to stay here and go to that hostel right now," I replied.

All he could do was smirk at me as he handed me the t-shirt. "You're going to be a stubborn one, aren't you?"

I unfolded the clothing, seeing it was a black t-shirt with The Shield symbol on it.

"Batting for the home team, I see," I commented.

"Free merchandise," he said. "Dean, Seth and I get them practically every show. I have more of those shirts than I care to count."

I looked at him at the mention of his brothers, my heart skipping a beat. I'd been so wrapped up in the whole meeting Roman thing that I forgot he had two other team mates. I fucking loved The Shield, my mind unable to hide the fact that meeting Roman could potentially mean meeting them too.

"I'm surprised they aren't here," I said casually. "Don't you three travel together?"

"If I get days off, they get them off too," he told me. "They'll be here on Sunday night ready for Raw on Monday. If the show is in one of our home towns we all usually crash at that person's house.

I gulped, looking at him, my eyes glazed over.

"They'll be staying here?"

"For a night or two, yeah."

Holy fucking shit…

On the outside I remained cool, calm, the perfect picture of relaxation. But on the inside I was somersaulting, dancing, screaming for absolute joy. This was fucking insane! The Shield… the mother-fucking Shield. I was going to be staying with them… in Roman Reigns's apartment! Shit…

"Cool," I shrugged. "Will be nice to see them." A cheeky snigger left Roman's mouth, his lips pursed together in a failed attempt to hide laughter. "What?" I asked.

"Stubbornness isn't the only trait of yours that's easy to see," he said, his arms folded.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"You're thrilled, Amy," he said. "You admitted yourself this morning that you're a fan. You don't have to hide your excitement."

"Thank god," I said, my shoulders dropping, his laughter loud as I ran from the room to the bathroom, screaming and jumping the entire way in joy.

I locked the door and started to change into the shirt ready for sleep. It was late, my face was sore and to be honest sleep sounded like the perfect thing. I yawned as I slipped my clothing off and folded it neatly, slipping on the t-shirt, the scent of Roman surrounding me instantly. It smelt of cologne with a hint of mint. It was mouth-watering and oh-so-manly.

The t-shirt was huge, falling to my knees so that it looked more like a dress than a top. Roman was over 6 foot tall and I was a meagre 5 foot 3 so it made perfect sense. I found a hair brush in the bathroom so quickly ran it through my hair before putting it back. Carrying my folded clothes I emerged from the bathroom, entering the spare room that would be mine for a while.

I looked around, this whole situation still not feeling real to me, my previous excitement dying down. I mean, I was in Roman Reigns's apartment and I was staying in his spare room for the foreseeable future. How often did this honestly happen? Not very, that's that answer! I blinked, taking in the room, looking at the bed, the wardrobe, the drawers, the mirror and pictures on the walls.

Why me?

Why him?

How?

None of this made sense. I was no one to him, a complete stranger off the streets. How could he trust me? How did he not know I was some crazy knife-wielding murderer? How could he be so fine with all this? How had all this come to be?

"You okay?" Roman asked from behind me. I turned around to look at him. "You zoned out a bit there."

"Roman is this all alright?" I asked genuinely. "Me staying here, I mean?"

"Of course," he smiled. "Why?"

"This shit doesn't happen every day," I told him. "I'm waiting to wake up and realise this is all a figment of my imagination. I mean, you don't even know me. You know nothing about me. I could be some crazy super-fan for all you know who has somehow managed to find her way into your apartment."

He sat down on my bed and I followed suit, seating myself next to him.

He pointed to my face. "That's how I know why," he said. "I know I have crazy fans but no one in their right mind would cause themselves that much harm purely to get into my apartment, especially when you were here this morning and left voluntarily. You didn't know that mugger was coming for you and you definitely didn't know I'd be the one to chase him off. This whole day has been a case of coincidence and chance. None of it could be predicted or planned, it just happened. That's why I trust you, that's how I know you aren't some fan-girl trying to get into my home."

"I guess," I said. "I just find it crazy how trusting you are."

And I did. The only men I'd had in my life for the past year were Jack and his friends and they had been nothing but vile, mean and twisted. Drugs, alcohol and laziness had been their main acts in life. They'd never really given a shit, especially Jack, so to find a man who was so kind and trusting of me was a little out of the blue. Jack never trusted me, the drugs bringing up his paranoia. I was always accused of stealing his things, of spending our money and of cheating on several occasions during our relationship. Roman had not questioned me once.

"Alright, I'll ask you now," he said. "Are you some insane fan girl?"

"No."

"Crazy axe murderer?"

"No."

"Satanic worshipping vampire after my blood."

I giggled. "No."

"Then I have no problem with you staying here," he grinned. "You're a girl in genuine need of help. Homeless, moneyless, and someone who needs assistance. I'm happy to give it. Besides, it's good to have the company whilst the boys aren't here."

"Thanks, Roman," I smiled.

"Does that settle your mind?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I feel a bit easier spending a second night in this bed."

"Good girl," he replied, tussling my hair before standing up. "Now get some rest. That cheek of yours needs the sleep to recover."

"Will do," I said, maneuvering myself until I was under the covers.

"Good," he smiled as he approached the door. "Sleep well, baby girl." He switched off the light.

"Goodnight, Roman," I replied as my head settled on the pillow.

"Oh and before I forget, love how The Shield shirt looks," he said with a wink before he shut the door, leaving me in the darkness, my face blushing as I fell into a deep and happy sleep.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to KayIsDaughterOfHades, Lilygirl95, clarembees, beautifultragedyxxx, Raquel the writer, grrlygrrl, Tantoune, nolabell66, MissInTheMiddle and ambrose-kohli-girl for their lovely reviews.**

 **Also don't forget to check out the other story I'm writing right now. It's called Fraternize and it's a Seth/OC fic. Go check it out of you have chance.**


	5. Who Are You

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **We get a little insight into Roman's head in this chapter to see his take on all of this. I'm not sure if I'll do an entire chapter from his POV as this is Amy's story but I'll be cutting to his view every now and again.**

 **Lilygirl95 – My inspiration came from a few things. I wanted to do another Roman story firstly. Also the fact that my other story Fraternize has a love interest who is the bad guy so that made me want this love interest to be the ultimate good guy. I also thought the homelessness thing was quite interesting so I rolled with it lol**

 **Tantoune – I'm a little bit in love with this Roman. He's so sweet and caring. I'm having such fun with all this and thank you for the support**

 **DancingGirl0 – I have their relationship progression planned out and I think its going to be a mixture of your two suggestions. A little bit of both.**

 **Raquel the writer – Thank you**

 **Nolabell66 – Exactly! It's been pure coincidence through this whole thing. Roman just happened to be the guy who found her. And you're right, Roman can take care of himself. She's no threat, especially with Dean and Seth on their way**

 **Guest – Well one of The Shield members will be appearing in this chapter so we will soon see their reaction**

 **MissyInTheMiddle – He has a gorgeous wink. Its those big grey eyes of his.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – I always love your reviews. Amy is one lucky girl and I get the jealousy. I'm a little jealous of her myself! And this is only the beginning. I have a lot planned for these two**

 **Clarembees – Roman is very trusting of her and you will see in this chapter some hints as to why. I think Amy reacted as any fan would. I sort of wrote how I personally would react and I know I'd have a mini freakout lol. Seth and Dean are getting here and we'll meet one of them in this chapter**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – I'm jealous of her too and I created her! Thank you for the well wishes**

 **This chapter is named after 'Who Are You' by The Who**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

"Damn, it smells good in here, girl," Roman said as he flittered past, walking between the living area and his bedroom constantly. He was packing his gym bag ready for a work out session and its usually contents were lying everywhere.

"Just wait until it's cooked," I smiled from the kitchen as I stirred a pan full of sauce. "Your taste buds are going to love me."

It was the Sunday night before Raw and I was cooking Roman a delicious dinner of lasagna with homemade tomato sauce and chorizo. It was my mum's recipe and the best darn thing I'd ever eaten in my life, so when we went to fetch groceries the day before I picked up the ingredients and promised him the best dinner he'd ever had.

"Can't wait to taste it," he said as he packed his gym shorts and a vest into his bag.

"What time are Seth and Dean getting into town?" I asked casually, holding back my excitement. During the few days I'd known this information I'd managed to calm down a little. "I'll make sure to make enough so they can grab a plate too."

"Not till later tonight," he said as he slipped on his shoes. "I'll be back way before then anyway."

"Well take your time," I said as I added a dash of pepper to the tomato sauce. "I'm more than capable of greeting them when they come if you aren't back."

"And miss seeing the look on your face when the boys arrive? No chance," he laughed as he walked over to me, ready to leave.

I looked up at him. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

"You didn't see your face when you first saw me. Trust me, I do not want to miss this."

I smirked as I stirred the sauce, wanting it to be perfect in every way. "Do they know I'm here?"

"Not yet," he replied. "With everything that's happened these last few days with you, I've not had chance to mention it to them. Though I think Dean suspects, I asked him to bring a camp bed with him in his car."

"Why a camp bed?" I asked.

"Well one of them usually takes the guest room whilst the other has the sofa. Since you're here there's no guest room free so Dean said he'd bring the camp bed."

"I don't want to put anyone out," I said, biting my cheek awkwardly. "I can take the spare bed if it's easier."

"Hell no," he replied. "I'm not letting a lady have the shitty bed when there's something better available. Those two are big and ugly enough to slum it for one night. They can take the sofa and camp bed."

I laughed lightly, turning back to my sauce. "As long as you're sure."

"I'm certain," he smiled. "Relax. You'll see, they won't mind."

"I'll take your word for it," I replied as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"I'll be a couple of hours," he said as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

"I'm a big girl, Roman," I told him. "I'll try not to burn the place down."

He chuckled as he left the apartment and closed the door behind him, the only noise being the bubbling and cooking food.

I'd been here for a few days now and I was pleased to say I'd settled in well. We'd managed to get me some new clothes and fresh toiletries like a toothbrush and a hairbrush from the city and I'd settled into my new bedroom. Roman had insisted on paying for everything we bought but I'd made a secret list of prices on a scrap of paper, adding it all up, ready to pay him back when I could finally get home to my parents.

In order to pay him back for his hospitality I'd offered to clean his apartment and cook all our meals, giving him much more time to relax, recuperate and train. It was one less worry on his mind and gave me a way to occupy my time. And to be honest it felt like pure bliss. Looking after him, taking care of him, getting to know a man I'd seen on TV for years but had never really known until now. Sure, I was still star struck at times, but I'd become so comfortable around Roman now that it seemed far more normal to be in his presence now. When I'd first met him he'd been this hotshot celebrity in my eyes, but the more time spent together and the better I got to know him, he just seemed like a lovely and regular guy.

But the best thing of all was the peace, the quiet and the solitude. There was no Jack around to fuck things up, piss me off or make life hell. There was no drama and no drugs, just a cosy little apartment and wonderful company. Company that was about to triple with the addition of two new friends.

I couldn't help the excitement that flowed through my veins at the thought of meeting Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. I was about to live every fan's dream and spend the night with The Shield.

 _Cheeky!_

No, not in that way! Far from that, it was just going to be something simple, fun and enjoyable. I was going to be sharing an apartment with my three favourite wrestlers, being in close quarters and having conversations about lord knows what. My mind reeled at the thought and wondered how things had flipped and turned so quickly.

Only four days ago did I have no job, live in a basement and have a boyfriend who'd want to smoke, snort and shoot up at every chance he got. And now I was in Roman Reigns's apartment cooking a homemade meal whilst waiting for Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to arrive.

Life truly was strange sometimes.

I continued cooking away, chopping up the chorizo, frying the mince and allowing the sauce to thicken. My mom had taught me this recipe when I was a child and I'd cooked it so many times since then that I knew it like the back of my hand. A good hour passed by and I was just preparing the pasta sheets when I heard a key in the lock of the door. Roman seemed to be back early but I thought nothing off it as I began to construct the lasagne in the giant glass oven-proof bowl.

The door behind me opened and closed as I layered the ingredients.

"You're back early," I commented. "I thought you'd be gone for another hour at least." I was replied to with a long silence. So I spoke again. "How was the gym?"

"Who the fuck are you?" asked a voice I knew well but knew wasn't Roman's. I recognised it immediately from hearing it on TV many times. I stopped what I was doing, turning round to see a concerned and confused man standing by the front door.

 _Holy mother shit balls…_

I could only stare with wide eyes as I took in the form of Seth Rollins. He dropped his bag onto the floor at his side, his voice sternly speaking again.

"Excuse me. I asked you a question."

"You're Seth Rollins," my voice squeaked. "Oh my god… You're Seth freakin' Rollins."

Roman had been right; I bet my face really was a picture.

"Are you a fan?" he asked angrily. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

 _Rude much!_

"M-My name is A-Amelia Butler," I stammered out. "And you're Seth Rollins."

"Who let you in?" he asked as he marched over to me. "Did you break in? Mother-fucking fans, never leaving us alone."

 _Shit… he thinks I've snuck in. He thinks I'm a fan-girl…_

"Hey, no," I said, waving my hands and stepping back. "No no no. It's nothing like that. Honestly. I'm supposed to be here. I'm a friend of Roman's."

He stopped in his tracks and frowned at me. "He never mentioned a friend was staying."

"It's been a funny couple of days," I explained, quickly washing my hands clean. "Lots to do and not enough time to do it in. I'm sure Roman will explain when he's back from the gym. Listen, my name is Amy. It's nice to meet you."

I held out my hand which he looked at sceptically. Frustratingly he refused to take it, simply moving his eyes to look up at me instead.

"Seth," he said simply. "It's just… strange that he never mentioned you."

"Like I said, it's been a long few days."

"He never normally has friends around, especially female ones." He looked at me closely. "Unless…"

It didn't take me long to catch onto what he was implying. "No! Oh my, no. It's nothing like that. Promise. Just friends." My cheeks tinged pink, my words coming out thick and loudly.

"So he has a woman here who isn't a fan and he isn't fucking?" Seth asked to clarify.

"That would be right," I confirmed, grimacing a bit at his harsh and blunt language.

"And how long have you been just friends?" he enquired, his eyebrow raised.

"Four days," I replied. "And like I said-"

"Four days?" he asked in astonishment. "How… what… I don't…Four goddamn days?! Who the actual fuck are you?"

"Seth, you made it," boomed a loud and stern voice as the front door opened, Roman making his presence known. He stood there tall and proud as he slammed the door shut, his entire form intimidating. His face didn't look happy, his lips in a tight line. He'd obviously been standing there a while and had heard the exchange between Seth and I. "And I see you've met Amy."

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, turning to face his friend. "Four days she's been here? What's that about?"

Roman put his gym bag onto the dining table and ran a hand through his long black hair. "Let's go talk in my room. I'm sure Amy wants to prepare dinner."

"How about-"

"My room. Now," Roman interrupted.

I looked between the two men as Seth nodded, my body feeling somewhat uneasy. Seth Rollins wasn't what I thought he'd be. He hadn't reacted like Roman had at all. He'd been coy, unsure and uncertain… probably all the things Roman should have been if I was honest. I hoped with a quick explanation things could be smoothed over and we could all get on fine before the arrival of Dean Ambrose.

Roman led the way to his bedroom and allowed Seth inside before he looked up at me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, plastering the biggest smile I could on my lips. "Dinner will be another hour."

"Alright, baby girl," he said softly. "It smells lovely by the way."

"Thank you," I replied as he winked at me, entered his room and shut the door behind him.

xXx

Roman Reigns's Point Of View

What Seth's problem was, I didn't know. He was being a prick, a dick, a bit of a sourpuss. I got his hesitancy around Amy but there was no fucking need to be rude to her. The poor girl looked awkward as fuck standing there whilst he gave her the tenth degree. It was totally out of order and I wasn't happy about it. Far from it.

He took a seat on my bed as I shut the door behind me, turning to look at him angrily.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked. "Asking her questions, giving her the tenth fucking degree?"

"Who the hell is she?" he asked. "I walk in and see her standing there, no explanation from you, no clue she would be here, and she's telling me you've only known her four days."

"That's my fucking business, not yours," I seethed. "And that means you don't come into my home and interrogate my guests."

"How do you know she's not some crazy fan who has snuck her way into your home? You know what they're like, Roman. They'll try anything. Who is she and where did she come from?"

"What does it matter?" I asked defensively. "Why does it concern you? Who I invite into my home is my decision, not yours, Seth."

My friend looked at me for a few seconds before he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just looking out for you dude. I don't want you to run into any trouble, that's all."

I nodded in understanding. "I get that. But I'm a grown man, Seth. I know what I'm doing. Amy isn't like that, trust me. She's a good girl."

"So what's the story with her?" he asked as I sat down beside him. Our voices were more even and calm, the argument thankfully over. I hated fighting with my brother's so I was happy he'd backed down.

"I found her passed out in the park a few nights ago," I began to explain. "I took her home, gave her a bed for the night and she went on her way the next afternoon. I went out for a drink on the evening and found her being mugged and beaten by some low life. Never managed to find out who it was but I had to make sure she was alright. Turns out the poor girl is homeless so I brought her back with me."

"She got nowhere else to go?" he asked me.

"She wants to go back to her folks in New York but they're on vacation for a few weeks. So she's staying with me till then."

He looked at me sceptically. "Is that wise?" he asked. "I mean, even if she is the nicest girl in the world, we're on the road, dude. What happens to her then?"

"Either she stays here or I take her with me," I shrugged as if it were obvious. "Her choice."

Seth shook his head, a smirk gracing his lips. "Girl must have made quite an impact," he muttered to me.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not most people you're like this with," he explained. "Hell, you never took Galina on the road once when you were with her."

I frowned at the name of my ex. "Well Galina cheated, she screwed up. And she's gone."

"You still never took her with us even when you were together."

"Galina was big enough to take care of herself," I told him. "Amy's… vulnerable. She needs the care, the company. And to be honest I like the company too. This place is quiet when it's just me. so if she wants to come then she can."

He looked at me in amusement. "So she's here because you want a bit of company and that's all? No other reason?"

My eyes narrowed as I glared at my friend. "What you insinuating, Rollins?"

"Nothing," he said, holding his hands up defensively. "It's just not every day that you bring a girl home and take her in like this, buddy. After what Galina did it's strange to see you so accepting of another woman. I don't think I've seen you with one since the break up."

Seth was right, it had been a long time since I'd looked at a girl, befriended a girl or even given one the time of day. What happened with my last relationship had hit me hard and fucked up my head in every way imaginable.

Galina and I had been together for about five years and for the most part we had been happy. We'd lived together, spent all our time together and I was even looking at engagement rings ready to propose to her. We were as happy as can be and I'd never been so in love.

Then Galina cheated.

And it wasn't just once. She'd been seeing a guy from her office for the entire final year of our relationship whilst I had been on the road. I'd come home early after getting a few extra days off and caught them fucking in our bed one Thursday afternoon.

I'd walked out there and then, my heart broken, my life destroyed. The woman I'd loved and trusted had betrayed me in the worst way possible and I didn't know what to do. What do you do when the purpose of your being and your whole reality crashes down around you? I was thankful I had Seth and Dean for support. I wouldn't have got through it without them.

But that had been a year ago and I'd barely looked at a woman since that day. No dates, no relationships, nothing. She'd hurt me and it had taken me a while to recover. Amy was the first real girl I'd spoken to since Galina. And I saw the fact that I'd taken her in as major progress for me. I couldn't be lonely forever and I knew I had to man up at some point and get my life back to normal. I knew taking Amy in as my friend was a good first step to getting myself back on track.

The girl was sweet, funny and in desperate need of help. She would a form of therapy and a great help to me. Plus there's no harm in making a friend along the way.

"It's not like I'm with Amy," I said. "She's just a girl in need. A friend. Nothing more."

Seth shot me a look that told me he didn't believe me. "You sure about that?"

"Perfectly," I replied. "She is a friend so I'd appreciate it if you'd treat her kinder."

Seth nodded. "Alright, I'll cut the girl some slack. If she's a friend of yours then she's a friend of mine. I'll support anything that helps you get better, Roman."

I smiled, patting my friend on the back. "Thanks, dude."

"We should get back in there," Seth suggested. "I need to make the peace. Poor girl probably thinks I despise her."

"She'll forgive you," I chuckled as we stood up. "She's a huge Shield fan."

"I saw her face when I came in," he said as we walked over to the door. "I figured."

I laughed as we opened up the door, the delicious smell of home-made lasagne hitting my nose. There was only Dean left to go and I knew he'd love Amy. With Seth onboard, it was making this whole thing a lot easier.

My little stray was already fitting in perfectly.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to Lilygirl95, Tantoune, DancingGirl0, Raquel the writer, nolabell66, Guest, MissyInTheMiddle, KayIsDaughterOfHades, clarembees and ambrose-kohli-girl for their reviews.**


	6. Talk

**Hello, lovely readers.**

 **Another day, another chapter. I think I'm finally starting to get my updates back on schedule. It's always harder when writing two stories as you have to work on chapters for both, but hopefully things are looking back to normal**

 **Raquel the writer – He does and you'll see it this chapter**

 **Nolabell66 – Seth was thinking rationally and logically. Roman does have a void to fill and whilst Amy can fill it, we'll see how deeply in the coming chapters.**

 **Clarembees – I'd have questioned a stranger, especially a fan, so Seth was logical in what he did. You will see Dean's arrival in this chapter as she finally meets all of the shield. And I'm like you; I can't resist the whole baby girl line**

 **Tantoune – Dean will definitely be bringing some comic relief to this story. I'm excited to write his character**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – You will see Dean in this chapter. Roman definitely has a void, but since this is a Roman/OC story, I dint think he realises how deeply she'll fill that void.**

 **Grrlygrrl – You will see that in this chapter!**

 **DancingGirl0 – I think Roman and Amy will feed off each other. They have a nice little friendship set up and only time will tell how deep and strong that friendship and relationship becomes**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – I try to keep the characters as realistic as possible and so had Seth react how I thought he would in that situation. And if you like winking, just you wait till you see what I have planned.**

 **Tomieharley – Dean is gonna be fun and I sort of see him having a brotherly relationship with Amy more than anything. The truth about Jack will come out eventually and you'll have to wait and see what happens there**

 **This chapter is named after 'Talk' by Coldplay**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

I was sitting on the sofa, waiting for the lasagna to cook when Roman and Seth finally emerged from Roman's bedroom. It was still completely surreal to see two of my favourite wrestlers in the flesh, but I had to calm that part of my mind down. Things were a lot more serious than simply being star struck as Seth had not exactly greeted me with a warm welcome.

I was nervous if I was honest as I wasn't sure what reception I would now get after whatever they had spoken about together. I totally understood Seth's skepticism; I was a stranger, more accurately a fan, and I had entered Roman's house and life suddenly and abruptly without an explanation.

Most people would sniff out bullshit at this point. They would sense a crazed fan doing whatever she had to in order to gain access to a celebrity's life. But that couldn't be further from the truth. My life sucked. I was homeless, I had no money, and I had an ex-boyfriend who had hurt me, beat me and made my life hell.

Roman being the one to find me was pure coincidence, nothing more, as was the fact that I was a fan. Anyone could have found me – a police officer, a hobo, a pedestrian, even Jack himself. But it had been Roman Reigns and that fact was pure chance. And I hoped Seth could finally understand that. It was pure luck and complete fate that I had found myself here. I had no ulterior motives, and I hoped Roman had managed to get that through to him.

I jumped and turned my head to look at them as they walked out of the bedroom. Seth looked a little sheepish but Roman had a huge grin plastered on his face, a far cry from the angry look I'd seen him enter the room with.

 _He's smiling… It must have gone well, surely…_

"Damn, it smells good in here," said Roman as he sniffed the air.

"Is everything okay?" I asked timidly as they made their way over to me. I needed to know, I just needed to know. They seated their selves on the sofa, Roman turning to look at me.

"I think we managed to sort things out," Roman said as Seth looked up at me. "Right, Seth?"

"Listen, I'm sorry," he finally admitted to me, my eyes blinking in surprise. "I came off like a total dick earlier and I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Oh, that's okay," I told him gratefully.

"I called the situation as I saw it but I didn't have all the facts. Roman has caught me all up, explained the situation and I realise how badly I came across. I'm not always like this, I swear."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry," he finished. "We got off to a bad start so if you'd give me a second chance I'd like to start over." He held his hand out for me to shake. "Hi, I'm Seth Rollins."

"Amelia Butler," I smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. "But you can call me Amy."

"See? Isn't this much better?" laughed Roman. "No arguing, no fighting, just friends together with what smells like heaven cooking. Damn, it smells good."

"It'll be ready in half hour," I replied as Seth let go of my hand. "You guys were talking for a while."

"Well there was lots to discuss," said Roman, casting a sideways glance at his friend. "But we're all on the same page now so it's all good."

I felt as if I could physically relax, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Seth liked me, he accepted me, he understood my situation and had welcomed me into their group. The relief was instant knowing they both liked me. It would have been awkward to be spending time with someone you look up to but doesn't share the same feelings, and it would have been even more awkward to spend time with someone who disliked and distrusted me.

It was going to make things a hell of a lot easier and I could live in some relative peace with these men until my parents were home from their holiday.

I had two down and now there was one left to win over. I hoped things could go as well with the last Shield member as it had the others.

xXx

It was two hours later when Dean Ambrose finally decided to grace us with his presence. He boomed through the door like an overactive child who had just been given unlimited access to Disney Land! He was jumping around, he was happy, and he was over the moon to see his brothers. He left his case and a folded up camp bed by the door as he went to embrace each of them in turn. Even though it had only been a few days apart he had quite obviously missed them.

Dean Ambrose seemed to be everything I imagined. Hyperactive, bright and a hell of a lot of fun. He seemed ecstatic to be there and it was very surreal to be sitting there watching The Shield reunite with a front row view. They welcomed each other, hugged and spoke, Dean's eyes suddenly dropping onto me as he pulled away from Roman.

"Whoa… a chick," he said in surprise. "Dude, you know you've got a girl in your apartment, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware," chuckled Roman as I stood up and made my way over to them. "Dean Ambrose, meet Amy Butler. Amy's a friend of mine."

He shook my hand with some confusion before looking back at Roman.

"Dude, I'm gonna ask you again. You know you've got a girl in your apartment, right?"

It took us a few minutes to explain the situation to Dean. We'd learnt our lesson well from Seth that it was best to get any explanations out of the way early on so as not to cause any problems or confusion. It was a lack of information that had caused Seth to question me in the way he had and we didn't want a repeat of it with Dean. So we sat him down immediately and laid everything out for him.

He sat back and listened intently, nodding and hearing everything the Samoan had to say. He didn't interrupt and heard the story to the end.

"So that's where we are now," finished Roman. "Amy will be with us for the next few weeks."

Dean quickly wrapped as arm around my shoulders and pulled me in, tustling my hair in a brotherly way, the motion causing me to laugh.

"Well any friend of Roman's is a friend of mine, especially a lady. If this big goon is happy you being here with us then so am I."

"Really?" I asked once he'd let me go.

"Of course," he replied. "It'll be good for him to have a little company. I know he has us but when I'm with Renee or Seth spends time with Zahra, that kinda leaves the big guy on his lonesome."

"Thanks, Dean," said Roman, rolling his eyes. "Make me sound like a loner, why don't you?"

"Calling it as I see it, buddy," Dean replied.

"He has a point," interjected Seth.

"If Roman is happy having you here then so are we," finished Dean. "This is a fucking good thing. He helps you out and you're also helping him out. Big time. This guy could do with a lady around. Everyone wins."

I frowned and looked over at Roman whose cheeks had tinged slightly pink. It seemed Dean was very bold and straight to the point with what he said and had clearly embarrassed Roman. But I myself had to wonder what he meant. Was Roman a loner? And how did me being here help him out? Surely I was a hindrance and a problem in the grand scheme of things.

I knew it would be a lot easier for the guy if he didn't have some little homeless girl hanging around, so how was my presence helpful? Dean swiftly moved on the subject but I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

We had saved some left over lasagna for Dean which he ate quickly and we spent the night relaxing together and watching TV. I had to pinch myself on occasion that I was here with these three men, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was not going to take it for granted.

It was around midnight when Dean began setting up the camp bed and Seth got out some pillows and a duvet for use on the sofa. We were all exhausted and needed our beds. So I retired to the spare room, changed and got under the covers, the memories of my evening swimming around in my head.

Whilst it had been the most amazing, sensational and crazy evening of my life, I could not help but think about Dean's words, about how my presence was seemingly helping Roman. In what capacity, I didn't know, but Dean spoke with conviction and both Seth and Roman seemed to acknowledge his words. It wasn't a throw away comment or something mentioned in passing. It had meaning and it had legitimacy, and from the look on Roman's face at the time it had significant truth.

That's when it dawned on me that I didn't really know Roman at all. I knew everything about him wrestling-wise but as a person he was still technically a stranger. Except for the details about Jack, he knew everything about me. About my past, my present, my homelessness, joblessness and parents. He knew pretty much everything there was but I was still very much in the dark about him.

And this lay heavy on my mind as I struggled to get to sleep. I couldn't help it, I wanted answers. I wanted to know about him, I wanted to get to know him, I wanted to know how I was helpful.

So I'd find out.

I got out of bed and walked to the door, slowly opening it. I peeked my head out to see Seth on the sofa and Dean on a camp bed, both men with their eyes closed, sound asleep. Once I knew the coast was clear I tiptoed out of my room and over to Roman's door. With batted breath I knocked, hoping not to wake the others. Thankfully Dean's snoring told me they weren't getting up any time soon. I knocked again and heard Roman's muffled words.

"Come in," he quietly called. I turned the handle, opened the door and slipped inside.

"Hi," I said, my eyes widening, my throat swallowing hard.

He was sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

And he was shirtless.

Completely shirtless.

Fuck.

"Hey," he smiled once he had woken up a little. "You okay?"

"I couldn't sleep," I said once I'd found my voice, trying my best to calm down my thumping heart as I fought to stop my tongue rolling out of my mouth.

 _Not the time or the place, Amy…_

"That sucks," he said, my mouth sighing as he reached to the floor to grab a t-shirt, slipping it over his head. "Why do you think that is?"

"I think I have a reason," I said as I slowly walked forward, perching myself right on the end of his bed. "And I wondered if I could speak to you about it."

"Of course you can," he grinned. "Amy, you can talk to me about anything."

"It's not too late is it? I know you need your sleep before Raw tomorrow."

"I'm here to help you," he assured me. "So talk away."

"Actually that's kind of what I wanted to discuss," I said, getting myself comfortable. "The whole helping thing. Dean mentioned something earlier."

"Ah," he said, shifting awkwardly. "You caught onto that, huh?"

"It was hard not to," I replied. "Your face flushed redder than a tomato. I guess I want to know what he meant and that's led me to think more about how little I truly know about you. If I'm living under your roof I suppose I should know more about the man I'm temporarily living with."

"That makes sense," he nodded. "You've told me everything about you, I should return the favour."

 _Not everything. You don't know about Jack!_

I quickly piped my subconscious down, ready to listen to what Roman had to say.

"You can tell me as much or as little as you like," I told him. "It's your call."

"Well I grew up here in Florida, more specifically Pensacola," he began. "I used to play college football but got into wrestling in my early 20s. I went from company to company and I met the boys along the way. We finally got signed to WWE and I've been on the road ever since."

"Seems like you're living a dream," I suggested.

"It's been a dream ever since I was a kid. My dad was a wrestler so being able to follow in his shoes and make him proud makes doing this every day totally worth it. I travel the world with my best friends and do what I was born to do."

"It seems you have the perfect life," I said. "I struggle to see what Dean meant by me being here being a helpful thing."

He sighed and ran a hand through his long black hair. His animated smile that refused to leave his lips during his life story now faded away, only to be replaced with hesitation and anxiety.

"He probably shouldn't have said anything but now he has I guess you deserve to know," he said.

I saw how uncomfortable he was and how wavering his words seemed to be.

"Listen, if it's too much then you don't-"

"No," he interrupted. "I'll tell you, I don't mind. It's just a touchy subject."

"Then take your time," I said softly, wondering what could possibly be up. I wasn't this bad when I was telling him the fuck ups I'd made in my life these last few months so whatever he was about to admit must have been relatively bad.

"I had a girlfriend," he finally said. "She was… beautiful, wonderful, everything a guy could wish for. I loved her with all my heat and I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her. I was with her for five fantastic years and everything was perfect."

I was surprised by this admission but it quickly dawned on me the lack of girlfriend these last few days. There were no photos of a woman in his apartment and he'd mentioned nothing during my time with him. He was using the past tense so I figured things weren't as flowery as he was making out.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"She cheated," he sighed. "She'd been cheating for a year when I found out."

"Shit…" I muttered to myself, my hand automatically reaching out to grab his. He looked so sad, so low and I just wanted to comfort him. He paused before he carried on.

"The girl broke my heart and fucked my head up more than you can ever imagine. So much so that I haven't dated in the 12 months since it happened. I haven't even looked at another woman. The closest I've spoken to are Dean and Seth's girlfriends. And that's only because they're with my brothers. I won't even befriend a girl."

"I'm so sorry, Roman," I said sadly, running my thumb along the back of his hand.

"Seth and Dean seem to think you being here is gonna help me there," he said, looking up at me. "It's a pretty big deal you're here since I haven't spoken to a woman in practically a year. And whilst they know we're friends, they think you'll help me come out of my shell more and get me back to my normal self."

"Of course I'll do that," I said in earnest. "Roman, you don't realise how much you're helping me out by letting me live here with you. I will do anything to repay you for your kindness and if my friendship can help you and get you back on track, then I'll do just that."

"You don't think it's weird or pathetic that I'm… kinda fucked up?"

"We all have our demons," I told him. "We all have those little things that affect us or screw us up. But when you see a bump in the road, the best thing to do is find a way over it."

"I guess…"

"And you're already doing fantastic," I assured him. "At no point during the time I've been here have you slipped up or made me believe you're uncomfortable. You've been kind, considerate and… well… completely normal. I'd never have guessed you'd have that sort of issue."

He smirked, looking down at my hand as it held his.

"You're already helping and you didn't even know it."

I laughed lightly, giving his hand a squeeze. "Looks like Dean was right then. We are helping each other out."

"And I've not scared you away with my little confession?" he asked.

"I've told you I'm homeless, jobless and will practically be leeching off of you for the next few weeks. That didn't scare you off so the fact you're hurt over what your ex did isn't going to scare me off."

He chuckled as he held my hand and pulled me towards him. I gasped as his arm went around me, pulling me into a sideward hug. My heart began pounding as if it was running a marathon, my stomach doing somersaults as if it were on a rollercoaster as I felt his strong body pressed against mine.

 _Holy shit, he's fucking hugging me!_

"Thanks, Amy," he said, rubbing my back, squeezing me tightly before letting me go.

"Any time," I replied, wishing with all my heart that my face wouldn't be as red as I knew it would be. "I think I'll be able to sleep better now. I guess I'll leave you to it as you have a busy day tomorrow with the show."

"I did want to speak to you about that actually," he grinned. "It's a bit short notice to get you tickets or a pass sorted for tomorrow night so you'll have to stay here to watch the show on TV. But I can sort things for the next few shows if you wanna come. I won't be here much after tomorrow and I'd hate to leave you alone. Plus the boys have grown to like you too."

I looked at him, suppressing the biggest grin in the world. "Are you asking me to come on the road with you?"

"Only if you want to," he said.

"Of course I do!" I shouted and this time I was the one to hug him. I threw my arms around him, Roman's chest vibrating as he laughed and held me tightly.

I couldn't believe it. I was going on the road, I was going on the fucking road.

I was going to travel with WWE.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to Raquel the writer, nolabell66, clarembees, Tantoune, ambrose-kohli-girl, grrlygrrl, DancingGirl0, KayIsDaughterOfHades and tomieharley for their reviews.**

 **Don't forget to hop on over to my profile to read the other story I'm currently writing called Fraternize. It's a Seth/OC story and I think you'll all enjoy it. So check it out of you get chance.**


	7. Next To You

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **Bit random about this whole Roman Reigns suspension news these last few days. I know the breaking of the wellness policy is a bad thing but I'm sure there's more to it than simply taking something bad. Certain medicines and cold supplements are banned so Roman could have taken anything and not known. Regardless, we will miss you whilst you're gone and I can't wait to see you back in the ring soon, big guy!**

 **Tantoune – I think the chapter showed Roman's human and more vulnerable side, but it also allowed Amy to get to know him better. And yes, she's off on the road. We can only imagine what will happen!**

 **Clarembees – I think I'm portraying Dean as quite laid back and fun, the sort of older brother role. And Roman knows so much about Amy that I figured it was her turn. It allows them to get to know each other and to let their bond grow stronger. I have a lot planned for when they're on the road so its gonna be fun**

 **Raquel the writer – Thank you!**

 **DancingGirl0 – Well you will find out this chapter about the hotel room situation. Their relationship is going to progress a little here**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – I'm excited to write this Dean. He's going to be very funny and bubbly. But yes, she's had a fresh starts and befriended all three guys now. So her time on the road is going to be fun because of this. And definitely interesting.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – Oh I have lots planned between these two, don't you worry. She's definitely becoming attached to Roman but I think that's down to his kind nature, his fun and caring side, and the fact he's taken her in. I love a slow burn so little things will start happening that build to something huge**

 **Nolabell66 – Thank you! I thought Seth needed to redeem himself after how he acted. Roman deserves a bit of happiness after what he went through and I think Seth and Dean see this happiness can come from Amy. And Roman will start seeing it more too.**

 **This chapter is named after 'Next To You' by Chris Brown**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

Our car drove steadily along the highway, my head resting against the window as I watched the world pass us by, taking everything in as we moved. We had long left Florida, the city and state a long way in the distance as we drove on to the next town. I sat comfortably in the back of Roman's SUV as he drove. Dean sat beside him in the front of the car, the pair chatting away as Seth sat in the back with me, catching up on some much needed rest. His baseball cap rested on his face to block out the light as he slept.

The boys had performed at the Raw and Smackdown shows in Florida, our bags had been packed and Roman's apartment locked up tight until the nest time he returned home.

We were all now finally on our way to the next city and that meant I was finally on the road with WWE.

 _Yeah… that sounds pretty wild to me too…_

This was probably one of the most craziest and surreal days of my life, more surreal than the day I'd met Roman and the boys. That day had been crazy, don't get me wrong, and on several occasions I'd had to pinch myself to check it had all been real. But that day had been me meeting The Shield. Today I was heading to meet the entire fucking roster and would be backstage with the actual company. This was a hell of a lot more to take in and accept in my opinion.

I wasn't sure how Roman had managed to pull this off, but he had. I knew that at every show the talent would get backstage passes for friends and family and so Roman had allowed me to use them for most of the shows. Plus coming from a prestigious wrestling family meant he was able to pull a few strings backstage and get what he wanted with the bosses, which was very rare for a Shield member. But Roman had managed to do it.

I didn't really question any of it; I simply accepted it when he told me.

But it was happening, I wasn't sure how but it was actually happening. I'd gone from having no home, no job and an abusive ex-boyfriend to being on the road with The Shield. The actual motherfucking Shield! It was like I was in a dream, like it shouldn't be happening to someone like me. Luck had fallen into my lap and I'd ran with it and come out on top.

Excitement flooded my body, my veins, my bones, anticipation on the forefront on my mind. I knew this way of life was limited and would only be happening until my parents got home, but I had to take advantage of my time with WWE whilst I could. I had to enjoy it, embrace it and not take it for granted. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity after all.

I didn't know what to expect, but I planned to enjoy every moment while it lasted.

"You okay back there?" asked Roman's voice, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked in a daze, lifting my head from the window, turning to look towards him. I could see him staring at me though his rear view mirror. "Oh, I'm good. Just thinking."

"About what?" he asked me.

"Everything that's about to happen," I said. "It's not every day that three strange men from the TV ask you to go away with them."

"You make us sound like kidnappers," laughed Dean, joining in on our conversation.

"Are they good thoughts or bad thoughts?" asked Roman curiously.

"They're good," I smiled. "They're excited thoughts."

He could not help but grin in return. "Don't get me wrong, this job has its long parts and its boring parts and its lonely parts. But it's the best, most exciting job in the world. You're gonna love it, baby girl."

"I think that too," I replied as I turned to look back out of the window, the world rushing by as we drove ever closer to the next city.

I was going to love it, I was going to enjoy, and I was going to have the best time of my life. I was going to get to know the company, I was going to bask in the adrenaline of being live in the crowds and shows, and I was going to get to know three frankly wonderful men, three men who had taken me on and accepted me in a matter of days.

But it wasn't only that that had me jumping for joy every second of every day…

The further I edged away from Florida, the further I edged away from Jack, and that was probably the greatest fact of all.

xXx

We reached the hotel later that night, the stars already in the sky. It had been a long and tiring drive from Florida and all four of us was glad it was finally over. The sooner we could get out of this car and into our room the better. Our beds were definitely calling to us right now.

We parked up, grabbed our cases and headed inside, walking directly to the reception desk in order to check in and get our room keys. This didn't take long, Seth having all the information and paperwork for the concierge. He gave him the keys and we all wheeled our cases to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive. A small crowd gathered behind us, all waiting to be taken to their correct floors.

I was exhausted, my mouth yawning every five seconds and I couldn't wait to get into bed and get to sleep. I'd never looked forward to rest so much. I hadn't realised how long the drive had been and it was crazy how something so simple could tire you out so much. Thankfully the elevator arrived in a matter of seconds.

When the doors slid open we all slipped inside with our cases, standing along the back wall as other hotel guests entered it after us. We stepped backwards as more and more guests flooded the small space, the elevator quickly filling up. I jumped as I felt someone's case roll over my foot, my eyes looking up in surprise as a tall man began backing into me in order to fit in.

I found myself being sandwiched between him and the wall, my anxiety rising as I felt as if I were about to be crushed.

 _Surely it can't hold this many people…_

All of a sudden I felt an arm around my waist. I gasped as it pulled me away from the wall and close to a tall and hard body, pressing me against it. I followed the arm to see it belonged to Roman, my friend holding me flush against him in order to avoid being hurt in the crush. My back was pressed against his broad chest, his arm tightly around me, keeping me close.

"You alright?" he asked me quietly.

"F-Fine," I managed to reply, my cheeks flushing pink at his closeness. "Nothing to worry about."

"Some people need to watch where they're fucking going," he said in annoyance, glaring at the man who had tried to crush me against the wall. "They can see you standing there and yet they still continue to flood in."

"It's okay, Roman. Don't worry about it," I assured him. "I'm good. No damage done."

And yet he still refused to let me go. His arm still remained protectively around my waist, keeping me near so as not to be hurt as the elevator began to move. I could only fight to keep my breathing calm and my heart rate down as I felt his warmth against me. Neither of us said a word, not that I knew what to say. We just stood in silence until we reached our floor.

As the elevator went up floor by floor, more people got out, giving us some much needed room and finally allowing us to part. I felt as if I could breathe again, as if I could finally allow my body to react how it wanted to. Now my heart could pound, now my breath could catch in my throat, now my hands could tremble with surprise and anticipation. And believe me, it did all those things. It's kind of hard not to act that way when Roman fucking Reigns has his arm around you! It's not an every day occurrence and I still couldn't believe it had happened.

The elevator finally reached our floor and when the doors opened I quickly stepped out before any of the boys did, giving me some much needed space and air. I hadn't realised how cramped it had been in there until I was out in a wide and open corridor. Once the guys were out we all followed Seth down the corridor to our room.

Roman seemed quite relaxed considering how close we had just been but I couldn't help the way my heart was pounding or how fast my pulse was racing. Being that close to Roman Reigns was… unbearable. But not in a bad way. It was like being close to your crush, being close to a boy you liked, finally being near someone who was highly attractive. Roman was my friend, but it wasn't difficult to see how hot he was. I'd had a crush on the wrestler for years.

So to have been held so close to him was definitely strange and different. It was the first time a man had held me like that since Jack and even though it wasn't in a sordid way, it was hard not react to having him so intimately close to me.

But if it wasn't effecting Roman then I couldn't show it was effecting me. I had to remain calm, relaxed and easy.

We made it to our room and let ourselves in and I had to admit I was quite impressed with the place, especially the size of it. But I knew from being a fan that the boys liked the travel and stay together so I should have expected a large room. It had a little kitchen area, a living area, a bathroom and three doors leading off to three bedrooms. It was quaint, comfortable and a nice place to be staying for the next few days.

But as the guys settled in and began to pick their rooms it arose a question in my mind. Since my appearance had been sudden and their plans and arrangements had been pre-booked in advance, it meant the room had not been catered for me to be here. There were three beds and four people. Clearly this meant there wasn't enough room for all of us. I wasn't clear on what the sleeping arrangements would be but I knew immediately this wouldn't work.

"There's only three beds," I stated.

The guys stopped as they heard my words, the information finally dawning on them.

"Shit, you're right," said Seth. "This ain't gonna work."

"There's a sofa," Dean noted. "So three of us take the beds and one of us has the sofa, like back at Roman's place. Sorted."

"Seems fair enough," nodded Roman. "It makes the most sense."

"I'll take the sofa," I quickly said, getting in before any of the men could show an ounce of chivalry and offer me a bed.

I couldn't in my right mind take the bed again as I had at Roman's place. It didn't matter if I was a woman and they were men, on the road we were all equals. It wasn't fair on the others to keep giving them the shit places to sleep, especially when they had live shows and TV to perform on. It was important that they had some proper rest and they weren't going to get that on a sofa. They needed a real bed, not a makeshift one. Since I was no wrestler it did not matter to me if I was in a bed or on a sofa. They were the priority here, not me.

"No way," Roman argued sternly. "It's not happening. Sorry."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Same reasons I said back home," he replied. "I cannot in all good consciousness make you sleep on that uncomfortable sofa when there's a bed you can have."

"Well I'm refusing your bed and opting for the sofa," I told him firmly as I seated myself on it. I could see Dean smirking out the corner of my eye at my stubbornness. "Thanks for the offer but I want you guys to take the beds."

Roman didn't look pleased.

He folded his arms, looking down at me, standing tall and proud and intimidating.

"Well tough shit. You're having the bed."

"I don't want the bed."

"Why don't I just take both beds and make a mega bed?" joked Dean. "Then you guys can argue over the sofa and the floor."

"I am not letting you have that uncomfortable sofa, Amy," Roman insisted.

"It doesn't bother me how uncomfortable it is," I explained. "You three need the beds more. You're going out in that ring tomorrow night for live shows and you need to be in the best health for that. You can't exactly take on a full fight if you have a bad back due to spending the night on a shitty sofa."

"So you'd rather hurt your back instead?" he asked.

"Rather mine than yours," I said. "This is your job, Roman, and you have to take care of your body. So take the bed and get the best rest you can. I'll be fine on the sofa, trust me."

"Amy, I don't like this," he sighed, not wholly sure of my argument.

"Hey, the night you found me, I was on a wooden park bench. This sofa has to be better than that, right?"

He couldn't help but smirk at my words. "Fair point."

"Exactly. I can handle one night on a sofa, Roman."

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "You take the sofa. But I don't like this. Not one bit."

"Thank you for siding with me," I smiled, quite pleased with my small victory.

"Now that you two children have stopped arguing and fighting over a bed, can we finally settle and chill for the night?" asked Dean, Seth swiftly agreeing. "It's been a long drive and I want some fucking room service."

"Agreed!" smiled Seth, quickly grabbing the room phone and the food menu that stood next to it.

Out the corner of my eyes I saw Roman staring at me, an impressed smirk on his mouth.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're a stubborn one, Amelia Butler."

I couldn't help but chuckle, raising my head proudly. "And you wouldn't have me any other way, Roman Reigns."

"No I wouldn't," he said before he grabbed his case and wheeled it into his bedroom.

It was strange to believe that only minutes ago I was pressed against Roman Reigns, an embarrassed quivering mess barely able to speak. And now things were completely different, me standing up to him, being brave and giving him as good as he got. It was all in good fun, of course, but it proved to me how used to Roman I was getting.

I always thought myself the kind of girl who would worship the ground a celebrity walks on if I ever met one and would do anything and everything they said. But here I was, having my own opinion and fighting them back. My friendship with Roman was growing. I was no longer the homeless girl and he was no longer the guy who took me in. We were friends, pals, buddies… And I liked that.

xXx

As I lay on the sofa that night, wrapped up in a cozy blanket, my head on a soft pillow, it didn't take me long to realise they were the only comfortable parts of where I was and that Roman's words about the shitty sofa had been right. The pillow was featherly soft, like my head was on a cloud. And the blanket was cozy, warm, totally enveloping me. But the sofa below me was lumpy, hard and impossible to get comfortable on.

I could only sleep in ten minute intervals, my body tossing and turning, striving to find a position to lie in where I could get some decent sleep.

Sadly it never happened.

At around 2 in the morning I gave up all hope, sitting up, gazing around the dark hotel room.

 _And Roman actually wanted to sleep here!_

There was no way in hell he could have handled this. The sofa was great for sitting on but to sleep on was hell. It was small, cramped and kept me awake. None of the boys would have had any chance on it. They were far too tall for starters. And even if they managed to fit on it the several lumps that failed to allow me comfort would have hurt their bodies, given them cramp and kept them up all night long. An aching body and a lack of sleep meant they'd have been useless in the ring.

I was tired, I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was sleep. And I wasn't going to get that by being on this sofa. So I threw the blanket off and decided to see if Roman had an alternative. Perhaps we could ask down at reception for a fold out bed or get me a small room to myself. Anything had to be better than trying to sleep on that awful sofa.

I managed to navigate my way through the dark room until I reached his bedroom door, knocking loud enough so that he would hear but it wouldn't wake up Dean and Seth. It was bad enough that I was waking up Roman; I didn't want to disturb the others as well.

He didn't answer, no doubt in the depths of sleep so I slowly opened the door and peaked my head through the gap so I could see into the room. All was dark and silent but I could see his sleeping body in his big bed.

"Roman?" I cautiously whispered. "Roman? You up?"

There was no response except for a few grumbles. He moved a little but his body soon stilled again.

"Roman?" I tried, speaking a little louder this time. "Roman?"

This caught his attention, the sudden noise causing him to jump awake and sit up. It took him a few moments to gather where he was and get his bearings. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before looking over in my direction.

"Huh… What…? Amy? Is that you?" he said tiredly.

"Yeah," I said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's… alright…" he yawned. "What time is it?"

"About 2," I told him.

"What's the matter?" he asked me.

I bit my lip. "I think you may have been right about the sofa."

Even in the darkness and even though he was in a tired stupor, I could see the self satisfied smirk gracing his lips.

"Was I now? What specifically?"

"I can't sleep on it," I admitted. "It's hard, it's lumpy and it's impossible to lie on."

"So I was right?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

"In my defense you're far too tall for the sofa and you wouldn't have slept on it either." I tried.

"But I was right?"

I sighed. "Fine, you were right, Roman."

"Thank you," he grinned. "That's all I wanted to hear."

I rolled my eyes at his smugness.

"There's no way I can stay on it for the rest of the night," I told him. "Can we ring down to reception, see if we can get another bed or something?"

"No need," he yawned, throwing the quilt back so the bed beside him was exposed. "Just get in here."

 _Erm… what…?_

I froze.

Stock still.

Unable to move.

Holy shit…

Get in his bed with him… He actually wanted me to get in his bed with him. The bed where he sleeps. The bed where he's sleeping right now. I'd be beside him. Sleeping. Lying.

I swallowed. Hard.

"W-What…?" I asked timidly.

"Just get in here," he said with another yawn. "It's a double bed anyway."

"W-We can organise another bed or another room," I stammered, grateful for the darkness that surrounded us. The last thing I'd want him to see is my bright red face.

"Amy, it's 2 in the morning. I'm tired, you're tired, and we both just want to go to sleep. I have a gym session booked for the morning and want to get in as much sleep as I can before it. For the sake of one night, just get in."

"O-Okay…" I said, not arguing with him, gently and quietly walking over to the bed, lying down as he put the cover s back over me.

"Better?" he asked.

 _How is this better? I'm lying beside you! We're sharing a fucking bed!_

"Much better," I said, my voice not exactly confident.

"Good," he yawned as his body slowly relaxed, his eyes closing. I could tell he was already half asleep. "I'll see you in the morning."

"G-Goodnight, Roman," I said but he was already fast asleep, too tired to reply.

I, on the other hand, could not have been more awake. With the position I was currently in I'd probably get more sleep on the shitty sofa. I was actually sharing his bed and sleeping beside Roman Reigns. This wasn't real, this was a dram, surely.

This type of shit doesn't happen to girls like me!

It was safe to say I didn't sleep much that night, my head to busy trying to comprehend the surrealness of the situation.

I was sharing a bed with Roman Reigns… Shit.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to Tantoune, clarembees, Raquel the writer, DancingGirl0, ambrose-kohli-girl, KayIsDaughterOfHades and nolabell66 for their reviews.**


	8. Stay Away

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **I'm really getting into the wing of this story now and we're getting to some really good parts. A lot of Amy/Shield moments and tonnes of Amy/Roman moments are coming up. Our friends are going to getting closer and I cant wait to write their relationship.**

 **Cow-Lover2214 – I am a huge fan of a slow burn and a good build up. People fall in love over time, not instantly, especially as these two are starting out as friends. Their relationship will build slowly and they'll realise how they feel naturally.**

 **Lilygirl95 – Aww thank you. As you'll see in the next few chapters, they're about to get even cuter**

 **DancingGirl0 – I'm going to a house show in Birmingham in November and he's scheduled to appear there too so lets hope its just the 30 days and he'll be back better than ever. And I agree with you. I'd never refuse Roman's bed. I'd be in there before he finished his sentence! As for Dean and Seth's reaction, you'll find out now**

 **Raquel the writer – She's caring for her friends and those around her. Plus her stubbornness is a natural trait. It's just the way she is**

 **Wrasslinfiend – I'd have jumped in that bed quicker than you can blink! I think you'll like the boy's reactions to her coming out the room too**

 **Clarembees – I had to have them sharing a bed, it's too classic not to. Amy is stubborn and she doesn't really want to play the damsel in distress. She knows Roman is being chivalrous, but she didn't want to back down. Plus their arguments are fun to write lol**

 **Tantoune – Oh there's going to be a lot of love between these two. It's only just begun. I like their bickering. In a weird way it furthers their relationship. Plus it's fun to write**

 **Nolabell66 – I think Amy got into deep water there. Her stubbornness led not only to a shitty sofa but spending the night with Roman Reigns! Definitely not what she expected.**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – You'll see Dean and Seth's reactions in this chapter.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm happy for any review, long or short. I wouldn't be able to say no to Roman either. Amy is stubborn but she's also quite shy and timid. She still can't believe her luck that she's with The Shield.**

 **FearlessBecca - Thank you. Yeah Dean will be sort of the comedic character in this story.**

 **This chapter is named after 'Stay Away' by Nirvana**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

The sun filtered in through a gap in the closed curtains the next morning, the warm sunny rays hitting my face and waking me from my slumber. I yawned and stretched my well rested body out, checking the clock on my bedside table. It was 9 in the morning.

I relaxed my body again, my eyes half awake, my body still coming round to the idea that it was morning. If it wasn't so late in the morning I'd probably have fallen right back to sleep but I knew it was best to wake up. Today was one of the live shows so I knew it was going to be busy. There wasn't really time for more sleep. I stretched my legs out against the soft mattress, feeling the legs of the human beside me, the gloriously warm duvet around me and the feathery soft pillow beneath my head.

 _Hang on… human beside me…?_

I frowned in confusion, my feet rubbing against the foreign legs a little more. There was definitely something solid and warm there. It was definitely human.

That's when reality dawned on me.

 _Shit!_

I quickly jolted my legs away and jumped swiftly out of the bed as if I'd just been electrocuted, turning to see a still sleeping Roman Reigns lying there, his long black hair splayed out across his pillow. His chest was rising and falling in sleep, his eyes tightly closed. He looked so peaceful, my mouth agape as I realised I'd spent the entire night sleeping next to this man.

I clutched at my chest tightly, my breathing heavy, my body feeling as if I was about to have a heart attack.

I'd fallen asleep on the sofa, hadn't I?

Roman and I had an argument about it. Yes, I'd definitely fallen asleep on the sofa.

But the more I thought about it, the quicker everything became clearer. The more my mind woke up, the sooner everything came back to me. I had indeed fallen asleep on the sofa, but that soon ended when I realised how fucking uncomfortable it was. It was lumpy, hard and impossible to sleep on. So I'd come into Roman's room asking if we could sort out alternative arrangements and he'd… suggested I sleep in his bed.

I swallowed. Hard.

I'd just spent the night with Roman Reigns… Wow…

If I thought everything else that had happened to me up to this point was crazy and surreal, it had nothing on this. Roman Reigns! _The_ Roman Reigns! I was in his fucking bed, sleeping beside him as he slept beside me.

 _Shit, this is insane…_

I shook my head, needing to focus, needing to get back to reality. I couldn't stand here gawping all day and I knew a coffee was just what I needed right now, not only to wake me up but to sober me up from this mental reality. If he woke up we'd have to discuss the fact we'd spent the night together and I didn't think my already full mind could handle that right now. So sneaking out before he was awake was definitely best for me right now. I just needed to calm the fuck down.

I didn't want to disturb Roman as he clearly needed the rest so I quietly and carefully stepped out of the room and closed the door softly behind me.

"Well this is a turn up for the books," came a voice from behind me, causing me to gasp. I quickly turned around seeing Dean in the kitchen area, a cup of coffee in his hands, the biggest goofiest grin on his lips. "Looks like someone opted for the bed after all."

My cheeks were flushed bright pink as I stared at him. A part of me was hoping no one would be awake yet so I could get out of Roman's room without being caught. Clearly that wasn't happening.

"M-Morning, Dean," I stammered, not quite knowing what to say.

"I was wondering why the sofa was empty when I woke up this morning," he said. "Coffee?"

"Yes please," I said, barely able to move from my position by the door. I was like a deer caught in the headlights, like I was completely stunned.

He began to prepare my drink. "Didn't think Roman had it in him, not this soon anyway," he said. "How was it?"

"How was what?" I asked, puzzlement all over my face.

"The good stuff," he replied. "I know Roman hasn't had it in a while but it's not really something you forget to do."

I frowned in confusion. "I don't…" And then it hit me. "Oh shit! God no! No, no, no! Jeez, Dean, it's nothing like that." My face was redder than a tomato, my voice high pitched and rushed as I fought to claim my innocence. I couldn't believe he thought we'd had sex!

"Come on," he said. "You telling me you spent the whole night in that room with him and you didn't bump uglies once?"

The door behind me opened.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Ambrose," yawned Roman as he finally emerged from his room. Our talking had woken him up. "She spent the night in there because the sofa was more shitty than we first realised. I offered her a place to sleep, nothing more."

He rubbed his eyes and moved over to the kitchen area, pouring himself a glass of water. Dean raised an eyebrow, looking between us both.

"So nothing happened? Just sleep?"

I quickly nodded. "Just sleep."

"If you guys say so. I think you're both protesting too much but if you say it didn't happen then it didn't happen," he said as he walked over to hand me my cup of coffee.

"It didn't, so story over," said Roman.

"It'll happen soon enough anyway," said Dean. "It's obvious as day." That's when Roman slapped him round the back of the head. Dean flinched. "Dude, what the hell?"

"Enough, Ambrose," Roman said sternly before he sat down, the tone of his voice telling Dean he was ending this conversation. I cautiously walked over to the living room, clutching my coffee tightly in my hands, subconsciously sitting as far away from Roman as possible. Dean had already started some gossip, I didn't want it getting worse.

But as Seth emerged from his bedroom I knew it was about to.

"What you guys shouting about?" he said as he rubbed his eyes. "It's too early for loud voices."

"Amy slept with Roman in his bed last night if you get my drift," he said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"DEAN!" Roman yelled, quickly jumping on his friend to shut him up, grabbing him in a headlock.

"They shared a bed," he shouted out through Roman's grip.

"Enough," said Roman as he squeezed tighter.

"I bet there was spooning and hugging and –"

"I swear to god, Ambrose," said Roman, Dean laughing all the way.

All Seth could do was roll his eyes at their play fighting, shaking his head and walking over to the kitchen for a coffee. "It's too early for this shit."

xXx

I could only look around in complete shock and awe later that afternoon as we arrived at the arena for that night's live show. I had a backstage pass firmly around my neck that Roman had given to me that allowed me to be where I was.

I had finally made it to WWE.

I swear I had to pinch myself on more than one occasion, my face often gawping like an idiot as we made our way through the arena to reach The Shield's locker room. The place was as busy as hell in order to get ready for the show that was only a couple of hours away but I felt as if all my Christmases had come at once, as if I was literally in a dream that I did not want to wake up from.

"There's Natalya," I said in wonder, staring as we walked past her. "And there's AJ Styles. And is that Cesaro?"

Roman chuckled at my side. "You're reactions are amazing every time, baby girl. It's like you're a kid."

"I'm at WWE, Roman," I explained, gawping as Kevin Owens walked by. "I've been watching this shit since I was 7 years old. This is probably the greatest day of my life."

"Been a fan for a while then, huh?" asked Seth.

"I watched WWE all the time as a kid with my dad," I explained. "I was a bit of a tom-boy growing up, the apple of my dad's eye. Sitting down on a Monday night and watching Raw was one of my favourite things to do."

"This must be a pretty special day then," smiled Seth.

"Like I said, probably the greatest day of my life."

"Well I've got you a ticket for the front row," Roman explained. "So you can see all the action live tonight."

"Seriously?" I asked him, my eyes sparkling with pure excitement.

"I told you, I get tickets every week for friends and family. You may as well make use of them."

My grin was so big I was surprised it could fit on my face.

"You're the best, Roman," I said, grabbing his arm and hugging it closely, the big guy chuckling.

"But we got some time before then so how about some food first?" he suggested.

We all agreed and we made our way to catering in order to fill up and refuel before the show tonight. The room was full when we got there, my eyes blinking every time I saw a wrestler walk past me. The Bella twins, Chris Jericho, The Miz, my head was in a twirl with all these superstars around me. I quickly sat down before my legs turned to jelly and gave way. Seth and Roman went to get us some drinks whilst Dean and I kept the table.

Dean was texting on his phone as we waited, his eyes firmly on the screen.

"Renee just messaged," he told me. "She'll be here to meet us in about 20 minutes."

I blinked. "Renee? As in, Renee Young?"

"Who else?" he said, putting his phone down. "I've not seen her since last Sunday so she better hurry up and get here soon."

"You missed her?" I asked.

"Course I have," he smiled. "She's my girl, I miss her every second I'm away from her."

I couldn't help but smile at his words. The Dean Ambrose we all usually saw on TV was the unhinged lunatic of The Shield, but getting to know him properly this last day or so proved that he was kind, funny and clearly missed his girlfriend. It was nice and refreshing to see this side of these guys.

"Then why don't you go meet her now?" I suggested. "I'm sure the guys can manage without you for a few hours if you wanna go see her."

He pondered over my thought. "I wouldn't mind a few minutes alone with her… You sure?"

"Go for it," I smiled. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."

"Alright," he said, standing up. "Tell Roman and Seth I'll meet them in the locker room in a few hours."

"Will do," I replied

"Thanks, Amy," he said as he rushed off, heading in whatever direction Renee was in.

It was lovely to see his joy at going to visit his girlfriend, but at the same time it saddened me to see someone so happy in a relationship. There was once a time when I'd have that kind of smile on my face. There was a time I'd have dropped everything and rushed off in a complete hurry in order to see Jack. But after what had happened, that was a long way in the past. Hitting me once had been bad enough, but the evening in the alleyway where he'd beaten me to a pulp was the nail in the coffin that was our relationship. God knows what he'd have done had Roman not come to break things up.

After something like that there was no going back. I was done with Jack, completely and utterly. I'd be the happiest girl in the world if I never saw his sorry face again. I knew I'd have to return to Florida in a few days time after Roman had finished his week on the road, but I knew I was safely away from him for now, and even when I was back in Florida I had protection.

Roman would never let anything happen to me so if for some rogue reason I did come across Jack again, I'd be safe.

I sighed. I'd come a long way in the past week or so and I hated that I'd still hidden Jack from Roman. But I was scared of the consequences, I was scared of what he'd do or what he'd say. Jack was gone, he was in the past and I didn't see the point in bringing him back up again. Whilst I was away from him and he was causing me no trouble, I didn't see the need to tell Roman. For now, it was better for everyone if Jack remained secret.

"You're new…" came a voice, breaking me from my daydream and my thoughts.

"Huh… what…?" I asked, shaking my head and quickly returning to reality, turning to see the face that the voice belonged to. "Sorry, I just-"

I froze, my eyes widening, my voice vanishing as I looked up at none other than Randy Orton standing before me.

 _Oh wow…_

"I've not seen you around here before," he said. "Are you new to the company?"

"I… I… I…"

My mouth was agape like a total fucking idiot, that same star-struck feeling hitting me that I'd felt when I'd first met the guys. This was Randy Orton! Randy mother-fucking Orton! I'd watched this man in the ring since I was a teenager. My dad and I loved him.

He smirked. "A lady of few words, I see." He held his hand out. "Randy Orton, pleased to meet you."

"A-A-Amy Butler," my voice squeaked as I took his hand and shook it. If only my dad could see me now… He'd be so jealous!

"Nice name," he said as I let his hand go. "You a new employee?"

"I'm here with a friend," I said, quickly clambering to grab a napkin from the table and handing it to him. "Can I get an autograph please? My dad is a huge fan."

He chuckled, taking the napkin. He pulled a pen from his pocket and took a seat at the table. "Of course. Who am I making it out to?"

"Keith," I said, still unable to believe I was having a conversation with Randy Orton. "My dad's name is Keith."

Randy quickly wrote on the napkin and signed it before handing it to me. I slipped it into my pocket to keep it safe. I couldn't wait to see my dad's face when I gave it to him.

"So who is this friend you're here with?" he asked me. "Bit mean of them to leave you at this table all by yourself."

"Oh they've gone to get me a drink," I explained. "They won't be long."

"Still. If it was me I wouldn't let you out of my sight," he said, looking me up and down a little. My heart picked up pace in my chest as Randy leaned in to speak. "Anyone could be here; I wouldn't want to leave a pretty girl by herself."

I looked at him, a little surprised by his words. Was he… flirting?

I was about to reply but was abruptly stopped.

"What are you doing here?" boomed a voice from behind me, Randy quickly standing up from his seat as Roman and Seth approached us. Neither of them looked please to see him.

"So Reigns is your friend?" he asked me once Roman and Seth reached me. "I'm surprised. I didn't think Reigns knew what a woman was. Surprised your dick hasn't fallen off this past year, Roman. That's what happens to things that don't get any use."

Roman growled and marched towards Randy, The Viper stepping back. "You need to learn to take a joke, buddy."

"Fuck off," Roman snarled.

Randy smirked before looking down at me. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Amy," he said before quickly walking away and making himself scarce before anything could kick off.

"What did he want?" Seth asked as both men took their seats, Seth handing me my drink.

"Nothing," I said. "He just came to say hi."

"Where the fuck is Ambrose?" Roman asked. His voice was a little pissed off and raised. "I fucking asked him to stay with you."

"Renee text," I explained. "I told him to go meet her."

"He shouldn't have left you alone," said Roman. It was like the happy and sweet persona he had before we were in catering had vanished. Now he seemed angry, annoyed and very pissed off.

"Why?" I asked. "I'm a grown woman, I'm okay by myself."

"Not here you aren't," Seth said.

"Don't get me wrong, most of the guys and girls here are lovely," began Roman. "But as The Shield, we've gained a number of… enemies over our time here. People who we don't like and in return don't like us. If they see you're with us, you automatically become an enemy and a target. Hence why Dean should not have left you alone."

"Randy didn't come to cause trouble," I defended him. "He was just being polite and saying hello."

"He may seem polite but he's far from it," said Seth. "Randy hates us and we've had several run-ins in the ring. He's not a friend, Amy."

"He seemed so nice…"

"And that's probably why he singled you out," Roman continued. "Randy is a private man, he never greets anyone. He only came to you because you're vulnerable and you're with us."

I frowned. "He didn't hurt me or say anything threatening. He just spoke to me."

"Just… stay away from him, okay?" Roman asked me. "Randy is trouble and I wouldn't want him to ruin this experience for you."

I looked at him, seeing the concern and worry in his eyes. Randy seemed like a perfectly normal guy to me. A bit flirty but what guy isn't?

"Roman, I-"

"Just promise me, Amy, please. Promise you'll keep away from him."

I sighed and eventually nodded. "Fine. I promise I'll keep away from Randy Orton."

"Thanks," he smiled, visibly relaxing once he'd heard the words leave my lips. "Now let's go find Ambrose. I need to kick his ass for leaving you alone."

I didn't know what the issue was and I didn't know how Randy could exactly be of harm to me, but this clearly meant something to Roman. I trusted him completely so if staying away from Orton is what he wanted, then that's exactly what I'd do.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to Cow-Lover2214, Lilygirl95, DancingGirl0, Raquel the writer, wrasslinfiend, clarembees, Tantoune, nolabell66, ambrose-kohli-girl, KayIsDaughterOfHades and FearlessBecca for their reviews**


	9. Protection

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **Another day, another chapter. We're starting to get into the swing of this story now, especially now Amy has reached WWE. Expect the drama and the relationship between Amy and Roman to get stronger**

 **Wrasslinfiend – Dean is a total tease, he was bound to wind poor Amy up. And Roman is very protective, probably to the point where he doesn't even realise how he's acting**

 **FearlessBecca – Dean is the comedic relief in this story. There will be plenty more Dean banter, don't you worry**

 **Raquel the writer – He's definitely getting there, even if he doesn't realise it**

 **Guest – Randy is going to be the villain of this piece. But that just means Roman gets more protective and that leads to more Amy/Roman moments**

 **Tantoune – I loved writing the bickering scene. Dean was brilliant in it. There's lots planned with Orton so you'll have to keep reading to find out what happens there.**

 **Nolabell66 – Amy does miss having a relationship as she's a girl who just wants to be loved. I think Roman is denying that he misses it but having Amy around will make him realise it soon enough**

 **DancingGirl0 – We know Dean's prediction will come true eventually lol. It's just a case of when and not if.**

 **This chapter is named after 'Protection' by Massive Attack**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

Roman wasn't best pleased when we finally found Dean and Renee. He wasn't raging or angry, but he was a little pissed off. The Randy situation had grated on him more than I thought it would.

I personally didn't see what the problem was to be honest. I was a grown woman who was very capable of taking care of herself. After the crap I'd seen and been through with Jack, I knew when I could smell a rat. I knew when to be wary of someone. There was obviously an issue with Randy, but in our short conversation hardly anything had happened. The guy had even given me his autograph for my dad!

So whilst Roman had a problem and saw something wrong, nothing had happened out of the ordinary. I was fine at the end of the day, no harm done. Not only that but I'd given Dean perfect permission to go see Renee. If anything Roman should be mad at me for letting him go.

But in Roman's head, Dean should have not left me by myself and he had a problem with that. I didn't understand it but I had to accept it.

"Dude, you left her alone," said Roman once we met them. Dean and Renee were deep in conversation, the two of them looking up at us.

"Huh?" asked Dean, not expecting us there.

"Amy. You just left her. I told you to stay with her, we were gone literally two minutes."

It took Dean a few seconds to realise what Roman was going on about, the Samoan's words finally dawning on him.

"Shit, buddy, I'm so sorry," he quickly said, holding his hands up like he'd been caught. "I forgot. I'm honestly sorry."

"I told him to go, Roman," I quickly interjected, not wanting Dean to get the flack for this when he had done nothing wrong in my eyes. "Don't get angry at Dean for this."

"I'm not angry at him," he assured us. "But I asked him to stay with you and he left."

"I'm sorry, Roman," Dean tried again.

"Just… watch out for her in future," Roman said. "You don't know who's lurking around."

Dean frowned in puzzlement so we quickly filled him in.

"We came back with the drinks to see Orton sitting at the table with her," Seth added.

Dean's eyes widened a little before he looked over at me. "What did he want? What did he say to you?" His tone was concerned, short and sharp. Just like Roman's and Seth's had been.

I sighed, my hands on my hips. "Nothing happened! He just introduced himself. That's it." I avoided telling them about the autograph. They'd probably want to burn it or something if they knew!

"This is why you can't leave her by herself," Roman told him. "Just don't do it again."

"Sorry, dude," Dean nodded. "I won't. I can't believe that bastard approached you."

Seeing the situation was a bit low and intense, the small blonde woman decided to step forward, a warm and comforting smile on her face, ready to diffuse the situation and lighten the mood.

"You must be Amy," said Renee, looking at me. I turned to face her, jumping a little as I was suddenly embraced in a hug. It was enough to move the conversation away from Randy Orton."It's so nice to finally meet you. Dean has been telling me all about you."

"He has?" I asked in confusion when she pulled away.

"Of course," she grinned. "All good things. Don't worry."

"Well it's nice to meet you," I smiled, unable to believe that I was standing face to face with Renee Young. She had only been in the business for a couple of years but I'd always thought she was a fantastic backstage interviewer when I'd seen her on TV.

Now things had been settled between the boys the five of us made our way to their locker room in order to prepare for the show tonight, Renee and I deep in conversation.

"Dean told me about your situation," she said. "I'm so sorry. It must have been hard on you."

"Well no home and no job sucks," I said. "I'm just grateful Roman was there that night to offer me help. He was wonderful."

"Well Roman is a great guy," she assured me. "And after his history I'm surprised he took you in so easily. This is helping him as much as you."

"Well I'm willing to do anything to repay his kindness," I told her. "So if my presence is helping him overcome his issues then I'm happy to stick around."

"I like you already, Amy," she smiled. "And I'm sure everyone else will too. Hey, some of the female wrestlers and I are going out to a club after the show for drinks and a dance. You should come."

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course," she said. "It'll be good for you. Meet some of the girls, enjoy yourself, let loose. After the shit you went through last week, it sounds like you could use it. And it can't have been fun being locked up with these boys for days."

 _I don't know… it's been pretty awesome…_

But a girls night out did sound fun and well needed. It had been months and months since I'd had a good night out. No job meant very little money so trips out were scarce. And Jack never had any money to take us anywhere as the majority of it went on drinks and drugs. So the idea of going out to enjoy myself did sound highly appealing. Plus what fan in their right mind would turn down the opportunity to go out with Renee Young and some of the female wrestlers of WWE? I'd be a fool to say no.

But would I be allowed was the main question. I didn't exactly need permission to go; I was a grown woman. But I would like a certain person's go-ahead. I knew Roman wasn't my father or my big brother but he was the guy taking care of me right now so I figured it would be best to run the whole thing by him first. I didn't just wanna bail on the guy without checking with him first. Plus after hearing that I'd been left alone for a matter of minutes had caused him to get mad the way it had, I didn't just want to go out without his blessing.

Though after how he'd just responded to me being alone for 2 minutes I doubted he'd let me go. But it was still worth a try.

So I turned to Roman. "Is that okay?"

"Is what okay, baby girl?" he asked as we walked.

"Renee has asked me to go out after the show," I told him. "It's just a few drinks with the girls."

"And we'll be back as a reasonable hour, don't worry," she assured him.

"Course you can," he grinned as we all reached the locker room and stepped inside. "You don't have to ask me. Go enjoy yourself."

I frowned a little in slight confusion.

He'd just gone crazy at Dean for leaving me by myself. He'd gone mad that I'd been left by myself without a Shield member close by. And now he was letting me go out all night long without one of them with me. In fact he was happy to let me go, his words bright and encouraging. Puzzled was definitely the word to describe me right now.

I wasn't sure why he was letting me go, especially since it was girls night. Sure it was girls night for us but it wasn't for everyone. Anybody could be at the club, including Randy Orton. If he was so adamant on me staying away from him and not from The Shield's sight, why was he happy letting me go now?

I was a little bewildered, especially after Roman's reaction to Randy being near me before. He seemed so adamant on me constantly being under The Shield's watch that I found his answer a little out of the ordinary.

Why had he gotten so worked up if he was so happy to let me go now? Was Randy as bad as he said or was he over-reacting? He was being extremely over-protective but he fluctuated on when I was able to take care of myself and when I wasn't. In catering I couldn't but tonight I could. It was so confusing, especially when I knew I could look after myself. I needed to know where I stood and what was going on in his mind.

So I decided to ask him.

"Hey, Roman?" I asked, tugging lightly in the sleeve of his sweater. "Can I speak to you for a second?"

"Course you can, baby girl," he smiled. "Here or…?"

"Outside or something," I said. This was sort of something I only wanted to discuss with him. I wasn't sure why because I was close with all three Shield members. But for some reason Roman was the one I felt closest with. I wasn't sure if it was because he had found me or if it was because I'd been staying with him this whole time. But he was the one I wanted to confide in. Besides, this was his issue, not the groups.

"Sure," he said and he led me from the locker room. We walked through the corridors of the arena before we made it outside to the back where all the trucks carrying the set were parked. It was quiet and secluded there so I knew we wouldn't be disturbed and no one would over-hear us. We stopped by a pile of crates and Roman turned to face me. "What's on your mind?"

I bit my lip and stared up at his tall frame.

 _Has he always been this tall…?_

"I wanted to talk to you about the whole Randy Orton incident," I said.

He frowned. "What about it?"

"I just… I don't want you to get so worked up about it, okay?" I asked him. "I know you weren't happy to see him sitting there with me but no harm was caused and I'm alright. Nothing bad happened."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke. This wasn't what he expected. He'd thought this conversation was over.

"Yeah, you're right. Nothing happened. But this was just one instance, Amy. This was just one meeting. You think he won't approach you again or try again?"

"Say he does," I said. "You think I can't handle myself?"

"When it comes to Randy Orton, no, I don't," he said truthfully.

"Of course I can," I said. "He's just one man. I've watched him for years. I know what he-"

"Exactly," he said. "You've only ever watched him for a few hours a week on your TV screen. Orton the man is far different from the guy he is on the television. You only know his WWE persona. You don't know the guy himself. He's bad news, Amy. Majorly bad news. I just don't want him causing problems for you."

"What can one man do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, you're happy enough to let me go out with the girls tonight despite the fact he could show up anywhere. Why is tonight any different from earlier?"

"You don't know him like I do," he explained. "I've heard of the shit he's done, I've seen it too. You can't trust Randy Orton. He may be a veteran in the ring but out of it he's the last person I want you to contend with. And I know you'll be with friends and fellow wrestlers tonight. He wouldn't dare try anything. Renee wouldn't let him."

I looked at him and saw the concern in his eyes. He really meant what he was saying and he truly feared whatever Randy could do. I understood that an enemy of The Shield's was an enemy of mine. I understood that Randy was someone to avoid. But I wasn't some damsel in distress that needed saving constantly. I just wanted to let him know that if I did have any sort of run-in with Randy, I was more than capable of looking out for myself.

"I get that, I totally do," I said. "But if anything does happen and I do run into him for some reason, I can take care of myself."

He shook his head. "I wish I could believe that."

"What do you mean?" I asked, a little unpleased that he was refusing to believe my words.

"Randy is cunning, he's clever, he knows how to get into your head. He finds a weakness and he goes at it. You saw the way he was discussing my past with women back there. There's a reason he's called The Viper, Amy."

"But I'm stronger than you think," I tried. "I've had my fair share of problems before which I've handled. Losing my job, all the problems I had with Ja-"

And then I quickly stopped myself.

 _Shit…_

I'd almost just given the game away. In one small sentence I'd almost told Roman about that pathetic ex-boyfriend of mine and blown this whole thing up. It was the one piece of information I'd avoided telling him due to the problems it could cause and I'd just been about to ruin that. So I quickly relaxed and recovered myself, hoping to get away with it.

"… with just being homeless before I met you," I continued. "I'm not that weak."

He sighed, anxiety blatant in his expression as he looked at me.

"I just worry, I can't help it," he said, stepping closer to me. "You're a good person, Amy, and I don't want him to ruin this experience for you just because of your association with me. That's not fair."

"Hey, I said softly, taking his hand in mine. "I understand what you're saying, okay? I'm going to avoid him. I'm not going to speak to him. If he approaches me I'll leave. I'll make sure I always have one of you guys with me."

"Thank you," he said, smiling softly, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"But I'm not made of glass," I told him. "I'm bigger and braver than you think. I'll do everything you say, I swear. I just want to assure you that if for some bizarre reason I meet him one on one. I'll be fine. I'll leave as soon as possible and get help where I can."

"You promise?" he said.

"Cross my heart," I smiled. "So don't worry so much. You know I don't go anywhere without you guys anyway. So lay off Dean a little, okay? It was a small mistake."

"I did come down harshly on him, I guess," he shrugged. "It was just a situation I wanted to avoid."

"I know, but things can't always go as planned. I didn't know back in catering what I know now. I'm much wiser and so is Dean, believe me." He had to chuckle a little at my words. "Just relax. This is all supposed to be about having fun, remember? Let's not let this little incident ruin it."

"You're right," he nodded. "Sorry. I guess I over-react sometimes."

"It's fine," I smiled, glad to see he'd relaxed now. "It's good to be wary sometimes."

"Well there's wary and then there's threatening to beat up your brother for an honest mistake."

I giggled. "I like that you care and you worry like that," I said. "It's cute."

He looked at me, his eyebrow raised. "Cute?"

My smile dropped, cheeks instantly flushed red. My face went warm, my mouth unable to get a full sentence out.

 _Cute? Fucking cute? Amy, did you seriously just say that to Roman Reigns?!_

"N-No… I didn't mean… I… I just…"

Roman smirked. "Nothing I've ever done has been called _cute_ before."

My blush spread from my cheeks down to my neck, my entire body now warm with embarrassment. Stupid mouth, saying shit it didn't need to say!

"Goddamn… I wasn't… I didn't mean to say it… It came out… I just…"

"Hey, hey, hey," he smirked, squeezing my hand and pulling me closer. "I'm only teasing you."

I nodded, still a little embarrassed by the entire situation. I needed to think more before I spoke. Yes it was cute. And yes, Roman was cute. But I didn't need to fucking tell him that!

"Come here," he said, pulling me against him and wrapping an arm around me, holding me close. This of course didn't help my tomato red face one bit, but I couldn't help the way my body leaned into his. "Let's start again, okay? Let's go meet the others, forget this happened and go enjoy the show tonight. Then you can go and have fun with the girls."

"Alright," I said, pulling away as soon as he let me go.

"Besides, I gotta change before I decide to do anything _cute_ again," he chuckled, the two of us returning to our friends, Roman smirking all the way.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to wrasslinfiend, FearlessBecca, Raquel the writer, guest, Tantoune, nolabell66 and DancingGirl0 for their reviews.**


	10. The Club Is Alive

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **I have a little author's note about this fic at the end of the chapter. But for now, enjoy some Roman-y goodness**

 **DancingGirl0 – I love the brotherly bond between The Shield so I had to include it in some way. And you will have to see what happens with Randy**

 **Tantoune – She definitely slipped up with that little comment! She said what we're all thinking haha!**

 **Lilygirl95 – Thank you!**

 **Raquel the writer – Thank you!**

 **Clarembees – I think being constantly surrounded by men, it's good for Amy to have that one female friend. And who better than Renee? And I agree, I love Amy and Roman's little chats. They are helping each other more than they realise. They a both positive for each other.**

 **KayIsDaughterOfHades – Yes, this was Amy's sort of first big slip up. The whole Jack story almost came out but she caught herself just in time. And don't worry about reviewing, get them to me whenever you can. Long or short, I just adore reading your feedback and seeing how invested in my work you are.**

 **Guest – Thank you. Glad you're liking the story**

 **Wolviegurl – Thank you!**

 **Tomieharley – Yeah Orton is gonna be a bad boy in this story. I think he's already well established as the enemy.**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – He definitely cares for her, that much is clear. I think she's impacted on him more than he realises. And this friendship can only get stronger and perhaps turn into more…**

 **Nolabell66 – He's very protective over her and I don't even think he realises he's doing it. Amy is becoming very important to him and is helping him become the man he previously was. She's good for him**

 **This chapter is named after 'The Club Is Alive' by JLS**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

I stuck close to Renee later that night as the bouncer checked our names on a list and gave us entry to the club later that night. I was in an unknown city about to enter an unknown club with a woman I'd only met for 15 minutes. To say I was out of my depth was an understatement and I wished with my whole heart that tonight wasn't a girl's night.

I kind of wanted Roman there. I kind of wanted Dean and Seth nearby. But Renee was the best I had in that moment so I was going to stay firmly at her side.

The live show had gone without a hitch and had been one of the best experiences of my life. But that had ended over an hour ago so here Renee and I were, entering the club, ready to meet some of the women from the locker room.

And I was already hating every minute of it.

I didn't know what it was but being out by myself made me feel rather uneasy. The loud music, the flashing lights, the crowds of people, the constant flow of alcohol… I felt so unsettled it was ridiculous.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realised why my anxiety was through the roof.

This all reminded me so much of Jack and the shit he used to do.

I was always dragging him out of clubs, my ex-boyfriend either drunk, high as a kite or sometimes both. And afterwards he would usually get angry, loud and horribly verbal towards me. I'd never had a good incident with him in places like this. The more I thought about it the more I had to wonder why I hadn't left his dead-beat ass earlier, but this whole experience was reminding me of the shit he used to do and I wasn't enjoying it.

 _Hey, this isn't like all those times. Jack isn't here and you're out with friends…_

My subconscious had a point, a very good one actually. It sucked that I was constantly reminded of the crap he'd done, but this wasn't one of those times. Right now I was out with the girls, I was out with friends, and I was here to enjoy myself, not drag Jack home again stone cold drunk. This was a good trip to the club, not a negative one.

 _Exactly. And the longer you drag your sorry ass along, the quicker one of these girls will know something is up!_

It was another good point. I didn't want any of them to worry and I certainly didn't want to let any of them know my anxiety was due to my pathetic ex-boyfriend. So I would suck it up. Whether I liked it here or not I would not show I was nervous. This time out was supposed to be a fun one too so I knew I'd have to try with everything in my power to have a good time.

I was surrounded by new people who seemed lovely and I had borrowed a phone from Roman so I had easy access to anybody I needed.

So with my head held high I walked through the club with Renee to go meet up with the others.

xXx

All the girls were absolutely lovely. The Bella twins, Natalya, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Naomi… All of them were so sweet and welcoming, greeting me with open arms and kind words. They treated me like one of their own and I instantly felt like a member of their group.

We all approached the bar, each having a shot of something sweet to start off the night before all ordering cocktails. We took our drinks to the edge of the dancefloor, sipping on them and scanning the crowds, moving discreetly to the music. The place was huge and from the amount of people here it was also very popular. It was all very overwhelming but I kept my cool as we finished our drinks and decided to move onto the dancefloor.

But as we danced and the crowd got bigger, my anxieties and worries grew. More people surrounded me, pushing and dancing against me, my mouth running dry as I began to panic a little. Memories flooded back to me of Jack, of him leaving me with his friends so he could go get a shot of something, of him being in places like this and snorting cocaine like it was nothing. Memories of him drinking, being lairy and vile and loud-mouthed.

My heart was beating heavily as if it was about to burst from my chest, my throat struggling to breathe. I could feel tears building and I knew I was on the verge of a panic attack. I couldn't do that, not in this busy place. I needed to calm down and get away for a few moments.

So without thinking I turned on my heel and rushed from the busy dancefloor to a much quieter area of the club where it wasn't as busy.

With deep and steady breaths I tried my hardest to calm down, trying to relax and keep level headed. Now was not the time of place for a panic attack.

I didn't want to be here. I thought I could, I thought I could come out and enjoy myself, but I just wanted to go home and get away from this place.

But to do that I needed help and I needed reassurance. So I pulled the phone I'd borrowed out of my bag.

I looked through the numbers list until I reached the phone number of Roman's hotel room, thankful he'd put it into the phone before I'd come out.

With shaking hands, I held the phone up to my ear, hoping with all my heart than Roman would just hurry up and answer.

"Hello?" came his voice on the other end. It was somewhat difficult to hear him with the loud music around me so I put my finger in my free ear in order to block out as much noise as possible.

"Roman?" I shouted over the noise.

"Amy?" he replied. "You okay? I'm struggling to hear you."

"Roman… Roman," I tried. "You there?"

"Amy…?"

This was hard so I knew the best thing to do was just tell him the problem and hope that he could hear me.

"Roman, I'm scared," I said. "I don't like it here. There's too many people and now I've lost Renee in the crowd. I don't know what to do. Roman? Roman…?"

Then a dull tone came down the phone and I knew the line was dead.

Fuck.

I groaned and tried calling him again but nothing seemed to be getting through. So I put my phone back into my purse, knowing I was totally alone in all this. I had no help and I had to put on my big girl pants and figure this out. I had to ignore my fear, my panic, and my anxiety. I had to go alone, be brave and try to find Renee and the girls again so I could reunite with them and see if we could leave. I was petrified but it was all I could do. It was better than simply standing there ready to cry.

So with a deep breath I decided to brave the madness of the crowds, diving right in to start my search for Renee.

The mass of bodies was almost impossible to manoeuvre through, everyone far too busy dancing, drinking and enjoying themselves in order to see me. No amount of shouting got them to move due to the loud music and the close mass and dark club meant it was very hard to actually see their faces. For all I knew I could have walked past Renee ten times and not seen her face.

So I gave up and wriggled out of the crowd, going back to my starting position. This plan wasn't working so I tried another one. I pulled out my phone and decided to call her. I knew this one probably wouldn't work either due to the noise, the fact Renee might not look at her phone, and the fact that my call to Roman had failed earlier. But it was all I had right now. I had to try something to find her.

I searched for her number and held the phone to my ear, sighing in exasperation when it kept going to voicemail. I tried twice before trying again for a third time.

I felt optimistic for getting through to her until one of the many clubbers around me bumped into me, knocking the phone straight from my hand and onto the floor.

 _Shit…_

I bent down, searching the horrible sticky floor for my phone, something that was not helped by the moving feet of those around me and the dark lighting of the club. It was like I was going into it blind, searching more with my hands than my eyes. But after a few seconds of searching I finally found it, my eyes setting themselves on the rectangular device. I went in to reach it but someone else's hand got there first.

I stood up and followed the hand, my eyes looking at a tall guy with blond hair, his shirt open at the top to reveal the start of his chest. The stranger seemed little tipsy.

"Excuse me?" I said over the music. "But that's my phone; can I have it back please?"

He looked me up and down, keeping the phone out of my reach.

"How do I know that?" he asked. "Can you prove it's yours?"

"I…"

Thing was, this wasn't my phone so no I couldn't. I had borrowed it from Roman, this was his, and there was literally no evidence on it apart from finger prints that this phone was mine for the night. And unless he was some mad detective with UV lights, finger prints weren't going to cut it.

"Well… no, but I-"

"Then tough shit, sweetheart. The phone is mine," said the guy, slipping it into his pocket.

"Hey! Give it back!" I yelled.

"No chance," he said. "You know how much money I can sell this phone for? Sorry. You can't prove it's yours so it's mine for the taking."

Shit. I needed that phone. The phone numbers on it would be worth their weight in gold, especially with all the wrestler's numbers Roman no doubt had on it. Then there was numbers like that of Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and even Vince. I couldn't let it get away with this jackass who thought he could just take it. It was far too valuable for that.

"It's not your phone either," I challenged. "Why do you have claim over it more than me?"

"Finders keepers," he shrugged. "Sorry, babe."

He turned to leave but in a last ditch attempt I tried to grab the phone but the guy reacted quickly, pushing me back harshly.

"It's my phone!" I tried.

"What the hell, you little bitch?!" he yelled, stepping towards me. "You think it's funny to just grab-"

"Give her the fucking phone," growled a voice from behind me. "Right fucking now."

With wide eyes, both the man and I turned and looked up to see a rather angry Roman Reigns standing behind me. His eyes were dark, his jaw tense, his hands balled into fists at his side.

 _What's he… doing here…?_

"Ex-excuse me?" asked the man, all his confidence vanishing as he looked up at the man who was almost a foot taller than he was and twice his size.

"The phone you just took off this girl, give it her back," he said.

"W-Why should I?" he asked timidly, my body subconsciously moving closer to the Samoan.

His nostrils flared, his teeth gritted and he took a broad stride towards the man, the stranger's feet scurrying a few steps back as he swallowed hard. I'd never seen Roman look more intimidating.

"You sure you want to know the answer to that question?"

"No, no, no," said the man, shaking his head vigorously as he took the phone out of his pocket, handing it over to me. I took it quickly, clutching it to my chest.

"Now apologise to the young lady," Roman demanded.

"Sorry," he said, looking at me quickly before looking back at Roman.

"Now get the fuck out of here before I show you exactly what that answer was," Roman growled, the man legging it out of the club with his tail between his legs. We watched him go, rushing until he was out of sight. "Son of a bitch," Roman mumbled under his breath before he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, kept me close, and quickly led me out of the club. Once we were outside in the quiet and the fresh night air, he turned to me. "You alright?"

I didn't think twice, I just fell into him, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I clung to him, relief hitting me like a slap in the face, his closeness feeling familiar and safe. The phone was tightly in my hand as I held him, Roman returning my hug, cuddling me against his hard and broad chest.

He had helped me against a quite frankly vile man. I wasn't even sure how he'd found me considering the phone call to him had been a dud but it didn't really matter. Point was he made it.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly, hugging me close. "What's all this about?"

"Sorry," I said, pulling back a little to get a better look at his face. "Just got a little overwhelmed by the situation there. I thought he'd taken your phone. I thought I'd lost it and then you'd be annoyed with me."

He chuckled lightly, tussling my hair, keeping an arm around me. "I got it back, didn't I? No harm done."

"What are you even doing here?" I asked. "How did you find me?"

"I heard bits of your call before the line went dead," he explained. "I tried calling Renee but she didn't pick up so I decided to just come down here and see what was up. That's when I saw that bastard with my phone so I came over."

"I could find Renee and then I got lost and then I dropped my phone and he picked it up and he would give it back." I was speaking at a thousand miles an hour.

"Amy," Roman said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder as the other one stroked the side of my hair, my cheeks tinging pink at the action. It was so sweet and tender. "Don't worry about it. I'm here now, I have my phone, and everything is fine. It's alright."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Positive," he smiled, my body relaxing more once I was sure everything was fine. "Now do you wanna go back in and see if we can find Renee?"

I shook my head. "I think I just want to go home."

"Alright, baby girl," he smiled. "I'll message Renee and tell her I have you and then we can get a cab back to the hotel."

He kept me close as he typed a text to Renee before hailing us down a taxi, both of us slipping inside and driving home.

I hated that my anxiety and past experiences with Jack were still affecting me even though I was no longer with him. Jack was gone, we were over and I never wanted to see him again in my life, but my mind still couldn't seem to comprehend that. It still had fears and worries, things reminding me of him to make me act in certain ways.

But as I looked over at Roman and he slipped his hand into mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze, I had to realise I was in a better place now. I was surrounded by better people and was living a far better life.

Jack wasn't the main man in my life at the minute. Roman was. Dean was. Seth was. And as he offered me a warm and comforting smile, my mind was finally beginning to see that.

* * *

 **I want all my readers to know that after this chapter, this story will be updated on a more part time basis. Usually I update once or twice a week but from now on it will be once a fortnight or three weeks, perhaps a little more. This is due to a number of circumstances.**

 **I'm finding I'm just not having as much time to write this story as chapters not only have to be written but they have to be edited and proof-read, which can be a lengthy process as I like to give you all my best work and not some half-arsed attempt at a chapter. Real life likes to get in the way lol. Secondly I'm in a good flow and a good place with my other live story Fraternize so for now I really want to concentrate on that and give it more attention. And I also have a Dean Ambrose story planned which I really want to get up soon as I'm really excited about it. This means Our Time Is Here has to be here in a more part time capacity.**

 **This in no way means I'm giving up on this story. I hate leaving a story unfinished and always try my hardest to complete every fiction I write. It just means updates will not be as regular as before. I understand some of you may wander away from this story because of this and opt to read ones that are updated more regularly, but I hope you all understand and stick with it despite the gaps between updates.**

 **Thanks for understanding, lovely readers!**


	11. Morning After Dark

**Hello, lovely readers!**

 **I know… I know… I'm sorry… I'm a bad writer. I haven't updated this story in forever and I know that's pretty bad of me. I'm so sorry, I really am, guys. Life happened, shit happened, and then I lost the entire storyline I had planned for this little fan-fiction. Like, the entire damn storyline! So I've had to completely reassess it and continue on as best as I can. I've plotted it again, remembering some of the major plot points and adding things here and there where I can. And now it's sorted and I have a plot again!**

 **But I swear this story is coming back. It will still be on the part time basis I spoke about last time, but I will NOT be leaving it 7 bloody months before my next update! It will only be a matter of weeks.**

 **I'm not sure if anyone is even reading this story anymore or if anyone is still interested in it, but here's an update anyway. So sorry, folks. Let's get this story back on track!**

 **DancingGirl0 – Protective Roman is the best!**

 **Angelsdee327 – Thank you so much for the support! But we're back now**

 **Raquel the writer – Thank you!**

 **Tantoune – I love when Roman comes in as the hero. Thank you as always for your ongoing support**

 **Wolviegurl – He sure did. Roman was a badass**

 **Tomieharley – Jack is a major thing that plays on her mind. Its her fear of him that holds her back. In her mind he's not around her anymore so why try to bring him back up?**

 **Ambrose-kohli-girl – He's a total gentleman, always looking out for Amy as best as he can**

 **KaylsDaughterOfHades – Their relationship is a slowburn but it is all starting to slowly come together. I have some really nice Roman and Amy moments planned for upcoming chapters. Thank you as always for the support. It's always appreciated.**

 **Dawnie-7 – Exactly. Within the situation, we wouldn't have seen Roman save the day. The bond is growing stronger and stronger between them, but also with the other boys too. They all wanna look after her and this is really showing.**

 **This chapter is named after 'Morning After Dark' by Timbaland**

* * *

Amelia Butler's Point Of View

When I awoke the next morning, I instantly wanted to fall right back to sleep again. The sunlight was searingly bright as it seeped into the bedroom through a small gap in the curtains. I groaned, lifting the duvet over my head until it was dark again, wanting the mattress below to swallow me up and never let me out. The space beside me in the big bed was cold and empty, and I was grateful to be alone in that moment.

The perfect word to describe me that morning was embarrassed.

Deeply deeply embarrassed.

I was not pleased with my behaviour at the bar last night, not pleased at all. I'd wanted it to be a fun night, a pleasant night, a night where I could chill, hang out, and have a damn good time. It was supposed to be my night with the girls, a time to socialise and let loose.

But what had I done instead?

Panicked, freaked out, and made Roman come all the way out fetch me and bring me back like I was some stupid 6 year old who was afraid to be away from her mommy.

 _Real cool, Amy. Real cool._

I closed my eyes, hating how last night had played out. I must have seemed so stupid and pathetic, acting the way I had. I mean, what was there to be afraid of? Really?

It was a freakin' night club. I was out with women who would take care of me. I was in a place where no harm could come to me, because if it did then there would have been 6 or 7 female wrestlers to have my back. I had no reason to freak out like I did or need to be brought home in such a way.

And yet I still had.

I'd still panicked, I'd still been close to tears, and Roman still had to come fetch me.

I thought I'd be fine, I thought I could get through the night with no problems. But obviously I couldn't. I'd begun the evening so excited and optimistic. It was a night of freedom, and I hadn't been out like that in so long that it was well overdue. I'd gone to nightclubs all the time in my college days. It was supposed to be fun.

But it certainly hadn't ended that way.

I felt insanely embarrassed. Like I'd made a total fool of myself, not only in front of Roman, but in front of the women I'd just left with no word.

I just wanted to stay under this duvet forever, cocooned in the warmth and the dark, where no one could find me and no one could question my feelings or ask what was up.

Because right now my feelings fucking sucked. And it was for one reason. One reason that was even more embarrassing to me that my actions. It was the one reason why I felt so foolish and pathetic that morning.

Even now, even though I was far gone from him, even though he no longer had any control over me or my life… Jack was still getting to me.

I hadn't seen him in close to a week, I was done with him, I was miles and miles away from him. Yet it was him that made me act like I had. It was our past and our history that was making me feel this way. I just wanted him gone, I wanted him out of my mind and memory.

I wanted it all to be officially done with. I fucking hated that even now he affected me after so much had changed in my life. It fucking sucked, not only for the things he did, but for the fact I stayed with him for so long.

I hated him… I hated him… I HATED HIM!

I sighed, pulling back the covers from my head, looking up at the white ceiling above me, willing the tears away.

I really did hate him. For everything he'd done to me, for everything he was still doing to me, for everything he'd said to me, for keeping him around for so long. He was a pathetic piece of shit that never deserved my time or my love. I needed him to go, to disappear, for me to never remember him again.

And as I stroked my cheeks where the bruises he'd given me had once been, I knew I was in the best place to do that.

I was surrounded by people who saw the best in me. I was surrounded by people who cared for me. I was surrounded by people that, despite the time of night, they would come to a club and bring me home. I was surrounded by people who gave a damn, something I'd never had with Jack.

I'd been told several times that my presence would help Roman, but I now fully realised that The Shield's presence would help me. They would help me forget, they would help me get over my past, and they would treat me how I deserved to be treated.

They were all my friends, and that was the most important thing in getting over all of this.

A gentle knock from the door broke me from my musings, making me sit upright.

"Yeah?" I called out, trying to pat down my blatant bed hair.

"Can I come in?" sounded Roman's voice, muffled by the door.

"Of course," I replied, pulling the duvet over my body, making sure I was warm and properly covered.

The door-handle turned, Roman nudging it open with his shoulder. To my surprise he entered the room with his back to me before he soon turned, revealing a tray in his hand. He kicked the door closed and walked towards me, delicious smells suddenly filling the room.

"I figured you could use this stuff this morning," he said, carefully placing the tray down onto my lap. Upon it was a large cup of steaming coffee, a glass of orange juice, and a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast.

I looked down at the food in confusion before looking back to Roman as he sat at the foot of the bed.

"What's all this for?" I asked him curiously. It certainly hadn't expected the arrival of breakfast in bed.

"Well you had a rough night," he explained to me. "So I figured I could at least make your morning a little better."

My heart started to swell at his words, a warm feeling filling my stomach at his kindness.

"Roman, this is wonderful, thank you," I smiled up at him, taking the knife and fork in my hand, tucking right into the food.

 _Fuck, this is good…_

The food was delicious, the eggs perfectly cooked, the toast coloured to just how I liked it, the sausage and bacon melting on my tongue, tasting fantastic.

"Damn this is amazing," I said. "Did you make this?"

"Most of it," he said. "Dean did the coffee, but the food is all me."

"Shit, this is some of the best food I've ever had," I smiled, my mouth full, placing even more food on my fork. I didn't care if I looked like a greedy gluten, I just wanted more of this. "With cooking skills like this, you're gonna make an amazing husband to a lucky woman some day."

He chuckled lightly. "I like to think so."

"It's delicious," I said, tucking into more, inhaling half the plate before I even breathed. I never realised how hungry I was until I put the food in my mouth. But I couldn't get enough of it.

"How are you this morning?" he asked me as I put the cutlery down to take a sip of my coffee.

"I'm okay," I said confidently, cradling the warm mug in my hands. "Much better than I was last night anyway."

"Yeah, last night was a bit unexpected," he said in honesty.

"For both of us," I added.

"What exactly happened?" he asked me softly. "You seemed so excited to go when we spoke about it in the afternoon."

"I was," I said to him. "I couldn't wait. But something in my head just clicked last night and I freaked out. I don't know if it was the noise, the crowds, the fact I was in a strange place. But I just panicked. I felt uncomfortable and anxious and I just wanted to leave."

"It is the first time you've been out on your own without one of us guys with you," Roman noted.

"But it's been less than a week since I met you all," I said sadly. "And I've been fine up to now. I've never had this problem. I shouldn't be acting like this, but then last night happened. And to think I gave you that whole speech about how I was a grown ass woman and that I could handle myself."

I looked down at my mug, staring at the brown liquid within, feeling like some pathetic girl who couldn't go anywhere without having her hand held. I wasn't like this. I was head strong, I was independent, I never usually had to rely on anyone. But damn, this Jack shit had really affected me big time. And it was all only catching up with me now.

"You can handle yourself and you are very self sufficient," Roman argued. "Trust me, I've dealt with your stubbornness a lot over the past few days. You're not a push over." I couldn't help smirking as he spoke about me. "Last night was just… a blip, a bump in the road. It happens to all of us."

"I guess," I said. "I just felt embarrassed having to call you like that."

"Well if you hadn't have called me, I wouldn't have been there to stop that prick stealing my phone, would I?"

"I suppose."

"And you would have stayed at that club worrying and panicking and perhaps making yourself even worse, wouldn't you?"

"Maybe."

"So don't sweat it," he smiled warmly. "I honestly didn't mind coming to get you, and it made you feel better having me there. Don't feel embarrassed, Amy. Please."

"Maybe you're right."

"Besides, I admitted to you a few days ago that I haven't gone near a woman in over a year! Now that's damn sight more embarrassing than panicking in a club. If I can tell you that, don't worry about what happened."

I finished up my coffee, put it on the tray and placed it on the floor at my bedside.

"How do you always know the best things to say?" I smiled in amusement as I looked up at the tall Samoan.

"I just got a way with words," he said, shrugging in amusement. "It's a gift."

"Thanks, Roman," I said in earnest. And I couldn't resist myself. I took the brave and bold decision to crawl across the bed and embrace my friend in a hug. Nothing sordid, just a genuine, friendly, and thankful hug. The grin remained on my face as I felt him hug me back, his large and muscular arms encircling my tiny body, wrapping me up and pulling me towards him.

He felt warm, inviting and loving as he stroked my hair and rubbed my back. A far cry from what Jack had ever been to me. This showed real care, real friendship, that Roman worried about me. Things were already getting better for me after only a single conversation.

"Any time, baby girl," he replied, eventually pulling away and getting to his feet. "Now if you're done with breakfast, there's three people out there who want to see how you are."

"I haven't worried them too much, have I?" I asked in concern, getting out of the bed and sliding my slippers onto my feet.

"Not too much," Roman said, reaching to pick up my tray. "But they still want to make sure you're okay."

We walked over to the bedroom door and stepped out, entering the main area of the hotel room, three pairs of eager eyes looking at me the second I walked through the doorway. I was instantly embraced in a hug as Renee rushed towards me, holding me tightly, Seth and Dean looking at me with sympathetic smiles.

"Are you okay?" Renee asked me as she pulled back to look at my face.

"I'm fine. Honestly," I assured her.

"What happened last night?" she asked in concern as she led me over to the sofa, Roman going to the kitchen area to dispose of my things. "I tried looking for you and calling for you. I just couldn't find you anywhere."

"I don't know," I said as I took a seat, feeling rather guilty for worrying the woman like that. "I just… freaked out a little. The noise, the crowds… it wasn't for me. I tried calling you too, stupid phone signal."

"I'm sorry I got split from you like that," Renee said.

"I'm sorry I worried you," I told her. "I really didn't mean to."

"But you're okay now?" Seth asked me.

"I'm fine," I smiled at them all. "Fresh day, fresh start, right?"

"Good attitude," Seth laughed.

"Agreed," said Dean. "Besides, if last night hadn't have happened, then Superman here wouldn't have been able to swoop in and save the poor lady like he did."

"Dean…" Roman muttered in warning.

"What?" he said, reclining back on the sofa, his hands behind his head as we relaxed. "I'm just saying, it was a nice opportunity for you to flex those muscles of yours and make the poor women swoon off her feet with a bit of macho-ness. Bet you both liked that, huh?"

"I swear to god, Ambrose," Roman said, launching forward, Dean running off in laughter at his teasing, Seth just shaking his head as Roman chased him.

I couldn't help but smile at the playfulness of these men, of these friends, these… brothers.

All three of them and Renee too. They were wonderful people, kind and giving. They'd taken me under their wing instantly, and even though my time with them was limited, they had welcomed me like an old friend.

Yes. With these guys at my side, maybe I really could start moving forward and on from Jack.

Maybe things could start to finally look up.

* * *

 **Again, a huge thanks to DancingGirl0, angelsdee327, Raquel the writer, Tantoune, wolviegurl, tomieharley, Ambrose-kohli-girl, KaylsDaughterOfHades and Dawnie-7 for reviewing the last chapter.**


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